I've been horribly negligent about logging in and keeping up with the forum for some time now; the rest of life, from family to work, just swallowed me up.

But I wanted to share with everyone that my beloved Rhoda, age 13, went to the Rainbow Bridge on October 14. She had inoperable stomach cancer, but was asymptomatic until last week.

Rhoda was my first dog as a grown-up -- in many ways, we grew up together, since I was only 25 when she came into my life. She spent her first four years as a big city dog, going on adventures all over San Francisco. She particularly liked to ride through the Financial District on a cable car (her head peeking like a periscope from her sherpa bag) and barking at the sea lions at Pier 39.

Rhoda accompanied me to the office every workday for 13 years. She worked as a "demo dog" for the SF/SPCA Hearing Dog Program, showing tour groups and lecture audiences how a Hearing Dog could alert to a ringing phone, alarm clock, doorbell, etc. When we moved to Sacramento in 2002, Rhoda became the official education dog for the SPCA's Humane Education program, helping teach about dog safety, kindness to animals, and the importance of spaying and neutering. We estimate that Rhoda appeared at presentations for more than 21,000 people before her official retirement in 2007 (she still came to work daily, but Marlee officially took over the education duties -- Rhoda was happy to kick back in the office and snooze!).

Rhoda leaves behind her "sister," Marlee (age 4) and our kitty Gidget. We're all trying to make our way in this new Rhoda-less world, but will carry our memories of this once-in-a-lifetime girl always.