A year ago,  Lily's Hope Rescue received a call from a woman who found a Bichon. I met the woman and she handed me the saddest looking miniature Poodle that I have ever seen. I really thought I would have to put the boy down…but I took him. My vet examined him and said the youngest he could be was 14. There were multiple problems with him but the worst were an enlarged heart and degenerating spine.

My vet told me that I would never place the boy (which I knew) and asked me what I wanted to do. I asked her what I should do. She said “No, YOU tell me. Does the boy want to live?” I knew that he had a lot of life left in him and told her so. We named him Lucky and he moved in.

I knew that I wouldn’t have Lucky for long and that was ok. I knew that as long as he lived with me, he would feel special. Heck, he had to feel special, a Poodle in a house full of Bichons. I told everyone that Lucky was a Bichon wannabee. We even called him “Luckychon”. But in reality, he had more dignity than that. Lucky never wanted to be a Bichon. Even my groomer gave him full Bichon cuts and we would laugh. But the boy was a proud, dignified Poodle who gave me a new respect for the breed.

I talk to people about adopting older dogs and I talk about my special feelings about Lucky. I’ve always felt blessed with Lucky. I tell them that I know he won’t be here for a long time but we will enjoy the time together and I will accept when he’s ready. When people asked me how Lucky was doing, I always replied that the little tail was still wagging.

In the year that Lucky has been here, he has chased rabbits on Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick, ate wild blueberries in Acadia National Park, woofed at the French in Quebec, chased birds in Niagara Falls. I tell people that in one year, Lucky has peed in two countries, seven states and three provinces. He attended Bichon Bashes where people would ask ‘what happened to that Bichon's tail?' During all of this, that little stubby tail kept wagging.

Lucky’s tail stopped wagging today. I don’t regret loving him and the sweet year that we have had, even though my heart is breaking. I may spend the day crying but I am really celebrating his life.