Yoda Balliet, This galaxy was just too small for such a beautiful soul. You truly were the best dog in the galaxy. Thank you for being our fur baby when we could not have a human one. We rescued you when you were almost a year old. Your Aunt Dione was supposed to take you home for Kylie but once I met you I just couldn’t do it. I knew you were meant to be ours. You were this crazy little spitfire of a dog…. Tearing up bathrooms, eating door frames, devoured 2 lbs of chocolate, you wouldn’t go potty unless you had walked FOREVER!
In the first week, your dad almost gave you away while I was on a trip. Thank God he didn’t because ultimately you became HIS little shadow, wherever Drew went you followed. You loved ball, hiked, were crazy fast, played WoW with your dad and Greg, and more than anything you loved to go on walks and pee on anything and everything and I mean everything, Including an old man’s shoe and walker at your puppy training class. Ahhhhh the great piddler.
Our favorite time in the morning was your cute little yawn and our time in the hallway. You would army crawl all the way across the landing to play fetch and tug with your favorite toys. That followed by morning potty treats, walks, and breakfast for Yoda.
You also loved small animals…. You literally loved them to death. Yoda the serial killer. Anything that had a squeak you de-stuffed and ripped its soul out. Your grandma and grandpa bought you the “indestructible” toys you had them torn apart in minutes. The squeak would never last. Over the years we blamed Emmie cat for leaving the bodies of dead rabbits and mice on the stairs. But when she passed the dead rabbits and mice still appeared. You added Evey’s guinea pigs (Ron and Harry) to your resume along with more baby bunnies, birds, fish, and snakes than we can count. Not only did you kill the snake, you ate it whole and it came back out looking the same.
You began your love of boats up in Montana. Your first dip in the lake was rescuing dad after he fell water skiing. You launched yourself off of the boat, “Don’t worry I’ll save you dad!” Honestly water was not your favorite but oh man you loved being on the lake and the boat rides. Going fast so your hair would flow in the breeze. You would sit at the front of the boat like our lake mascot! So adorable, the wind in your hair, there isn’t anything cuter.
One of our favorite things to do with you was to go on truck rides. Your little paws were the perfect size to roll the windows down. You didn’t care how cold it was out, you wanted your face right in the wind. You would stick your head out the window… when we rolled up to the coffee shop you could hardly contain your excitement for a puppuccino. It was so fun to watch you with that whip cream!
You never met a treat you did not like… except McDonalds chicken nuggets. Seriously, you would eat anything but you spit out chicken nuggets. Carrots were your favorite, but you would eat any and all veggies, chewies, raw hides, sausage strips, barkery cookies, training treats, sweet potato ………….. But no matter what you loved those carrots!
The last few years you got to spend tons of time with your Aunt Jenny. You were her study partner, mailbox walker, and the alpha to Luna and Annie. You were the three amigos riding in the Bug to get the kids or a puppacino! You told Jenny and Sean when it was time for a snack, time for dinner, time for a walk, time to go outside, time to wake up, and time to poop…..The world ran on Yoda time.
As you got older it was clear you were the top dog. You tolerated the newest member of our pack, Annie Skywalker. She learned quickly that you were the tug champion even though she outweighed you by 40lbs. All the big dogs knew you were the man. When you walked by Luna, Annie, Ruby, and Roxy would move around you. Make way for the little alpha among the big dogs.
We are thankful every day that we got to be your family. Your unconditional love and snuggles made some of the hardest times in the past 15 years bearable. So many things have happened that you were a huge part of. You were the anchor to our family. We could always count on love and kisses from you when we walked in the door. You were independent, strong, and opinionated until the very end. We love you so much and will miss everything about you. You loved us every second and we loved you right back. All of these memories and love we shared, make saying goodbye to you impossible. You were our favorite hello and hardest goodbye.
Yoda, May the Force be with you until we meet again….. Love you always our little Benny Boy.