How do you even begin to describe such a beautiful soul? How do you condense a lifetime of memories into a few short paragraphs?

Eve was unexpectedly thrust into my life about 14 years ago. I wasn’t looking for a dog, I had no intentions of bringing a dog home that day, yet fate (and Liz Paul) had other ideas. "This is Eve, you can have her. "

Eve fit into our lives like she had always been there. She became my guinea pig, my patient teacher, and my first show dog. She and my dachshund, Ember, hit it off, and were thick as thieves. When it became clear I had no idea what I was doing in the show ring and failed somewhat miserably, she smoothly transitioned to my contest dog, and then a wonderful mother as my foundation dog.

I grew into the groomer I am because of Eve. I developed a deep love for the breed because of Eve. She was quiet, funny, kind, mischievous, even keeled, occasionally hysterically naughty, and gentle. She was an old soul, wise and knowing. She was a lover of trash cans, and more than once got caught perusing the contents of tote bags, purses, and pantries. She loved to quietly ransack your stuff, and then pretend she had no idea what happened.

While Eve never made it big in the show ring, she found her niche as a model for many competitors, a lesson dog for students, the star of many photoshoots for magazines and books, and was even featured in a grooming video. She became known for her Asian style trim, and in her later years, her trademark bow that she was never without.

I’ve never met such a truly sweet dog. She never so much as growled, barked or snapped at anyone. She was gentle with children and was an ambassador for the breed at the BFCA Meet the Breeds booth a couple years. She put up with anything asked of her. She would let you hold her like a baby, learned how to play dead when I said “bang!”, and delighted in doing her “fishy dance” whenever she was excited. Didn’t like dogs? Too bad, ya liked this one.

It’s hard to remember a time she wasn’t with us, as she’s been part of our family most of our adult life. Her absence is keenly felt already, a huge hole where her quiet presence should be. Kidney disease is a terrible, awful thing to endure, and while her mind was still sharp, her poor body could not go on. While we are devastated to have lost her, I take comfort in knowing her legacy continues. We are blessed to be surrounded with her children, her grandchildren, great grandchildren, and her great great grandchildren. Who knew that a little freebie dog would turn out to have such a huge impact on so many lives? That a little dog I failed in the ring would go on to produce champions, agility and performance stars, and two national specialty winners? I take comfort in knowing she’s no longer in pain, and I can only imagine the party she’s having with those who went before her. My heart went with her that day. She wasn’t just my dog, she was everyone’s dog, and she loved her people dearly. Until we meet again, my beautiful Meebs. I hope there’s a great big trash can in the sky, just waiting to be tipped over.

Minnie Pearl