Life doesn’t always go as planned.
2025 has that sentiment on repeat, reminding me that life is unpredictable and one must stop and enjoy the moment.
Two months ago, we had to say goodbye to our sweet Lily Pug, and while we miss her terribly, we are so very grateful that she joined our family.
She drove us crazy, made us laugh, stole our food, and didn’t have an obedient bone in her body. We loved her squishy face, her non-stop barking at nothing, her demands for attention, and her ability to hear the rustling of a potato chip bag from across the house.
She was the perfect pug companion, but she was not the first.
Before Lily joined our family, we had a beagle, Newman Bleu, and a little black pug, Bella Lou. These were the dogs with which our children grew up.
In June 2017, we said our goodbyes, and our entire little family gathered to see them off on their journey across the Rainbow Bridge.
Heartbroken, and despite having had many pets in my life, I declared that “never again” would we have another dog. It was just too difficult to let go.
Never say never – famous last words.
After applying to adopt from a nearby pug rescue, which included submitting several references, our vet’s information, and a home inspection, the way was cleared to bring home a fawn-apricot mix pug named Princess.
Princess, whom we were told was four years old but was likely at least six, was rehomed to us and renamed Princess Lily.
At the time that Lily joined our family, I was winding down my online Halloween and costume business, preparing for our youngest to enter his senior year in high school, and assisting my mother-in-law with appointments to treat her cancer.
To combat the craziness of our lives during this time, I would treat myself to some Halloween cross stitch therapy. I had taken a 15-year break from this hobby, but I dove back in as if I’d never left it.
Within a few days of her arrival, Lily would jump into my lap and fall asleep while I orchestrated tiny “x’s” into Halloween icons and haunted scenes. It became our evening ritual.
Never in the history of pets in our family has a dog ever chosen me as their person. My husband and boys have each been beneficiaries of being the “favorite,” but not me – until Lily.
Lily followed me everywhere and was always placing herself in the middle of whatever I was working on. She could be found rolling around in costume pieces, helping me practice crochet, and modeling my creations.
And, she loved Sundays with the Chiefs.
We had known for a while that Lily’s time with us was nearing its end, so we made sure to embrace every opportunity to shower her with love and treats.
In the days leading up to her passing, I thought it fitting to step away from things, pick up my needle, and sit with Lily, as we had done in our early years together, to work on a Halloween cross stitch.
I selected a pattern from the latest Halloween cross-stitch magazine that features a ghost taking its ghost dog on a walk. How fitting.
Lily was here when I started this piece, but she was gone by the time I completed it. This past week, I took the time to formally finish it by turning it into a door hanger.
Using black velvet, I made a backing, embellished the edges with black trim, padded it with batting, and installed a ribbon for hanging.
This work, our last haunted cross stitch together, will serve as a memorial to this old girl and her old dog.
‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all – Lord Alfred Tennyson
So true.
RIP beloved Princess Lily Pug ❤
