In Memory of Lucy Mae Pacheco Blair
April 5, 1996 – November 8, 2103
Born in Nebraska, this bundle of joy came into our lives 8 weeks later at the University Town Center pet store. She was the puppy in the window. After taking her out for a visit, there was not putting her back. I soon went home with a “puppy-starter” kit and was on my way. Who knew that this six pound, pot-bellied cutie would bless us with 17 ½ years of pure joy bringing.
Lucy was named after Lucy from the “I Love Lucy” show. I wanted to be able to say “Lucy, I’m home!” just like Ricky did when he came home every night on the show. Our Lucy’s many nicknames’s like Joy-Bringer and Lovership, and Mrs. Suede are almost all related to her amazing sweetness. There will never be a sweeter, more gentle and loving dog. Everybody loved Lucy! There are so many fond memories of Lucy it is hard to know where to start and stop. Some of the ones that come to mind are:
• Just barely 8 weeks old, Lucy would go up the steep staircase in our Scripps Ranch house even though the stairs were taller than her. Her legs were stubby and her belly big, so often on the way down she would trip and slide down on her belly. Thump, thump, thump.
• She loved playing ball, especially around water. When we moved to Coronado we had a pool that we called “Lake Lucy.” She would fetch her own balls over and over again. We would see her laying by the pool losing her ball into the water, watching it float out to the midpoint, jumping in to fetch it and doing it again and again throughout the day.
• Lucy had some nervous tendencies. She was scared of ceiling fans and boxes which we discovered when we moved to Coronado. She walked around like the fans were on top of her head and out to get her and the boxes made her run in the opposite direction.
• When Lucy was still small enough, she used to always sit between Mom’s legs for security out in public.
• When Lucy got older, she used to put herself to bed at 9pm in the girls room upstairs every night
• As a puppy, Lucy loved to jump up and eat hibiscus flowers off the bushes. 16 years later she still adored eating those flowers even though it had been years since she had seen or smelled one.
• When Lucy was a puppy she loved to eat the fruit from the many trees in our Scripps Ranch house. We used to find pits all over the back yard.
• Lucy used to love sitting on top of the picnic table and look out at the canyon in our Scripps Ranch house.
• Lucy was valedictorian of puppy obedience class. I recall her passing the sitting in place test despite having “ants in her pants” as the instructor tried to taunt her to make her break form.
• Lucy was an awesome big sister. Always affectionate, she took her duties to another level when Livi and Gigi were born. They could lie on top of her, and she would keep them safe. She was so excited when they arrived. (Although I recall her having circles from lack of sleep during the colic months). The girls loved to dress her up and make videos with her; she was always a good sport.
• Lucy loved going on car rides, so she often ran an errand with us. She would snuggle against us, and we would hold “paws” in the front seat. She always had the most affectionate loving look. (Kind of like Nancy Reagan gazing at Ronny). She would make her famous happy grunting sounds.
• Lucy had an affectionate squirrel pose where she would sit on her hind legs and put her front paws on your shoulders.
• Lucy has an extremely soft and luxurious coat. Petting her was like petting velvet. Her head often smelled like tortillas.
• Lucy was a water dog. Her favorite place was definitely the beach; she would get excited at the smell of it. We had to drag her away every time. Even though she was so exhausted that she couldn’t move, she still wanted to try and go for the ball in the ocean.
• Lucy loved being wet and getting muddy. I recall her staying in the garage during a rainy day while I was at work, so she could stay dry, and when I returned home instead of coming in through the garage she ran around to the back door, got wet, and rolled in the mud in the 5 minutes it took for me to get out of the car to let her in.
• Lucy’s favorite foods were bananas and popcorn. She could hear the peeling of a banana from another room.
• Mom and Lucy had a special forehead nuzzle. Lucy used to like to make it impossible for Mom to work at her computer by constantly bumping up against her arm, so it would land on her head, and she would be forced to pet and not type over and over again.
• Lucy was a work buddy. She would love to stay with us when we worked from home. What a soothing presence she was.
• Lucy had a happy dance like Snoopy where she would bounce up and down with a low bark. I would ask her to “show me” what she wanted, and she would proceed to the pantry.
• Lucy always remembered what toys people gave her. Whenever those people came to the house, she would grab the toy they gave her and use it to play with them. She was smart like that!
Lucy Mae was a remarkable girl – truly a miracle and a blessing that we have been so extremely fortunate to have in our lives. Our first baby. While no words can capture how much she will be missed and how much happiness she has brought to us, we have comfort knowing that she is running around and playing Frisbee with grandma in heaven. She is forever in our hearts.
Rest in peace our dear, sweet girl. Thank you for all the incredible memories and joy that you brought us. We will see you again.
We love you to infinity and beyond!
From Martine Blair xoxoxo ∞