Rainbow Bridge Memorial

Dearly missed by Jeanne & Greg Carras

My beloved Sassy crossed the Rainbow Bridge 10/23/2007. This announcement is almost 11 months late. At first I couldn’t bring myself to send the notice because then it would be too real. Then I told myself I wanted to write the perfect farewell to her. The perfect words never came and the months slipped by. Now I realize there will never be perfect enough words to describe our girl.

After a 3½ year wait following the loss of Greg’s Lab and a lot of research into the world of Greyhounds, we decided it was time for a new companion – this time, one for me and my store. Greyhounds were decidedly the perfect fit for the shoe boutique I owned in downtown Olympia. We knew exactly what we were looking for: a small brindle girl. We met a lot of prospects but nothing “clicked”. Almost ready to give up, our representatives said they had one left to check out. She was at a foster home and they would bring her to the store. Greg and I awaited the visit expecting another disappointment. As Kelly and Sassy walked through the doors we knelt down to greet her. She sauntered up to us and put her head on my shoulder. That was it!! An instant bonding that never stopped.

She was the perfect store representative. Essentially, she held court at the store for the entire 11 years she was ours. Every one loved her and she them. Mom’s loved to come shopping because they had an instant babysitter while trying on shoes. Sassy became part of our advertising and an immediate downtown Olympia celebrity. She was an adept model as a pirate, a reindeer, sitting in a trunk or hanging out in sunglasses in a lawn chair. As long as she was with me, she was happy.

In November 2003 Sassy came down with a slight cough. We, the vet included, thought she just had a cold. We kept taking her to the vet but the mild cough continued until February 2004 she coughed up blood. We rushed her to the vet and they were still stumped. Dr. Renee decided to do a chest x-ray. She came back to us in tears, Sassy had an enlarged heart and congestive heart disease. She was so bad that the vet didn’t think she would make it through the weekend. Dr. Renee shot her with a diuretic and sent us home with pills and an appointment for the next Monday that she really didn’t expect to see us at. Well, Sassy defied all odds and not only made it to the appointment but continued to “sell” shoes and grace our lives for 3½ more years. Surprisingly, it was not the heart disease that took her life. She became so weak with arthritis that everything was a labor for her. After a hard decision and a long conversation with Dr. Renee, she came to our house and to help us walk Sassy across the Rainbow Bridge. Sassy now rests out at our property in the exact spot where she could see Greg in his shop and keep an eye on me in the house.

Greg, I and ALL our customers miss our special girl, but I know she is in the right place just waiting for us join her one day. I could bore you for hours with stories, but this is enough. She was truly a gift and blessing from God who graced our lives for 14 and a half years. She really was the perfect mate for us and spoiled us rotten.

Love from Mom and Dad,

Jeanne & Greg Carras
Sassy Image, Tag #02169