We sadly said goodbye to Tilly, half sister to Clara.

After being diagnosed with kidney disease and being put on a special low-protein diet of chicken breast, salmon, tuna and cheddar cheese (which Tilly relished) we finally lost our little girl after 14 years of companionship.

Tilly came into our lives in 2000 after we had lost Cody, our 17 year old Westie, and promptly proved herself to be the most stubborn Westie ever. All training methods failed; Tilly destroyed a few Coke cans (you know, the pennies shaken in the Coke can to stop barking), a cast iron skillet used for the same purpose and numerous toys, earning her two lifelong nicknames, "Tilly the Hun" and "Till the Will."

Finally, in exasperation, Tilly was enrolled in Doggie Obedience where she promptly received "Top Score" and only managed to miss a perfect 100% due to "handler error." I'm sure she forgave me this indiscretion many times over. I guess it was her independent attitude of "I can do it if I want and only if I want, just to prove it to you."

Tilly's antics over the years and her "westietude" were always sources of pleasure and her perpetual title of "The Kid Sister" to her older companion, Clara, never seemed to be inappropriate. "Look at the cute puppy" people would always remark, even in her last days, when walks were becoming increasingly rare and slow.

She is buried next to her sister in the backyard she called her personal squirrel hunting grounds.