REST IN PEACE MY SWEET INKY BOY

REST IN PEACE MY SWEET INKY BOY ~ This is in memory of my little BFF and official D.O.G. here, INKY.  Inky passed away on Friday, August 1, 2025.  Rest in Peace my sweet boy.

Inky was not the original shop dog. So here is the story of how he came into my life.  We met and became instant BFF’s on Friday the 13th of July 2012. Our original shop dog, Bubba the pug, helped me get the business started. Bubba came into our lives in October 1999, and he crossed over the rainbow bridge in December 2011 from CHF.  Before him, we had a shar-pei named Jayde.  Jayde was born in 1990 and crossed the bridge on April 1, 1999 (yes, the cruelest April Fool’s joke ever – to have to let a sweet boy go on that day).  He had lymphoma.

Now back to the story of Inky.  Inky was a Pom-a-Poo (Pomeranian/Poodle mix). When we met, I knew right away that he would be my boy, and I would be his person.  He looked like a little wooly mammoth.  He was 5 months old and had not had a haircut.  I met him through the bank where I do my banking.  They knew I had lost Bubba and that I desperately wanted another dog to love.  There was a customer who also banked there, and she wanted to find a good home for her dog; I wanted to find a good dog for my good home, so it was a perfect match. She brought him to the shop and the match was made.  From that moment on, he was pretty much with me 24×7.  He was the official D.O.G. (director of greeting) and he kept his eyes on me always.  I truly believe Inky would have followed me to the gates of Hell and back if that’s where I said we were going.

Inky was never a really healthy dog.  He was born with a collapsing trachea so he could never wear a collar, but a harness worked just fine.  He then developed bladder stones which we kept under control with his diet, and this never really bothered him.  He had an enlarged heart and a heart murmur, which then lead to CHF (congestive heart failure) which we managed with medication. He had even had some seizures in his lifetime.  And then of all things, he got a malignant melanoma tumor in his jaw.  Now Inky never smoked, he never chewed tobacco, and he never drank alcohol.  So, all the things they tell us humans to avoid keeping certain types of mouth cancer away, he never did anyway and still ended up with this terrible disease.

Inky was the best dog ever.  He was extremely intelligent and so very adorable.  He was very soft, like black velvet.  His chocolate brown eyes just drew you in.  He could stare at me with so much intensity.  I always said that stare was so daunting; I miss that stare so much.

Inky was the shop dog extraordinaire and the official D.O.G. (Director of Greeting) here at the shop.  He always did his job of greeting folks at the door and chasing them out when they left.  He was a little ankle biter (although he never bit anyone).  I believe he just wanted you to think that he could bite if absolutely necessary. He wanted to seem rough and tough and larger than life, but he was a very gentle soul.

I miss him terribly.  He was my constant companion; always here by my side looking for guidance and being ever my protector.  It is very quiet and lonely here at the shop now as well as at home.  He was always with me, wherever I was so there is no escaping the emptiness and the heartbreak.  That unconditional love he gave me for 13 years can never be replaced.  I am lost without him.

RIP my special boy, INKY.