Raku, in Japanese, means ease and comfort. It’s also the name given to the fairly unpredictable method of firing pottery producing beautiful, often iridescent colors on a smoky black surface.
Our three-month-old pound puppy was like the Japanese pottery of the same name. We had no idea how she would turn out. We were told she was a lab-mix, but even that was unconfirmed. She had been delivered, along with eight brothers and sisters, to the shelter at one week of age. All we knew for sure was that she was a friendly, curious, beautiful, black ball of fur. She instantly became a member of the family and a huge part of our hearts. It turns out the “ease and comfort” implied by her name was a bit ironic as she was diagnosed with severe hip and elbow problems at the age of six months. With a little TLC and a regular, life-long dose of doggy arthritis medication, those imperfections didn’t stop her from joining us in all sorts of family adventures and travel and, most importantly, providing ease and comfort for her human family members.
She was freed from her failing 12-year-old body on the evening of April 6th after a beautiful spring day shared outside with her human mom and dad. She was allowed to devour an entire Easter ham bone for her last big treat. A short time later, Dr. Amanda B. with Home to Heaven gently eased her into her pain-free release.
We will miss most her warm brown eyes, the cocking of her head to capture every word we spoke, the welcoming thump of her tail, her harmonization to our birthday songs, and the constant loving companion shadowing us around–always there for us should we feel the need to run our fingers through her silky fur or feel the love in her devoted gaze.
Rest in peace baby girl.