IN MEMORY OF TRIXIE
5 October 1995 — 30 June 2007
Beauty without vanity.
Strength without insolence.
Courage without ferocity.
Our beloved dog, Trixie, in the grip of an aggressive cancer and facing an imminent--and painful--bursting of a tumor in her heart, was gently put to sleep by her vet on Saturday 30 June, while she lay on her favorite outdoor couch, on the patio, where she had so often enjoyed watching the rose gardens and the sea while being petted.
She loved to have her face held firmly in cupped hands, thumbs stroking her cheeks, and sometimes she would want me to do this for half an hour at a time. So while Gerda cradled Trixie's body and told her she was an angel, I held her face in my hands and looked into her beautiful eyes. I told her she was the sweetest dog in the world and that her mom and I were so proud of her. I told her we loved her as desperately as anyone might love his own child, and she fell asleep not forever but just as long as it took her spirit to awake in the better place where she belongs.
That Saturday was the hardest day of our lives. The pain is more intense than any we have known before. The house seems empty without her, and we feel lost. She changed our lives and made us better people than we otherwise would have been. She was a magical creature, and I will write a book about her, God willing. We will work with Canine Companions for Independence and other organizations to make good things happen in Trixie's name. She will continue to be a part of this web site because, after all, she is immortal, and when she contributes articles from now on, each will be labeled totos, which stands for "Trixie on the Other Side." My friend Wesley Smith told me, "The pain is so intense because the joy was so intense." This is true, and it provides some comfort, but nevertheless the pain is so intense.
P.S. -- A number of friends and fans have asked how they might best honor Trixie's memory in a charitable manner. Trixie was a former service dog for the wheelchair bound, trained at Canine Companions for Independence. She retired at three with an elbow problem, and came to live with the Koontz family. She has donated all author royalties from her past books to this wonderful organization that originally raised and trained her. Click here to learn how you can make a donation to CCI in Trixie's memory.
Bliss to You:
Trixies Guide
to a Happy Life
is Trixie Koontz's third book. She channeled it from the Other Side through Dean’s computer.... more
