She Was Small, But Her Spirit of Adventure Was Great!

April 21 was a very sad day for us. Our sweet Cordie, our travel companion, and my fellow hammock snuggler had a stroke. We knew this day would come, but it didn't make the decision any less painful to make. But instead of the sad details of her loss, allow me to tell you about this adventure dog and why it was such a joy to have her in our lives.

Cordie came to live with us when she and her sister Snickers were just eight weeks old. They were just the most adorable puppies I had ever seen. Snickers was black and tan with a creamy-colored belly while Cordie was all fawn-colored with one white stripe in the middle of the forehead. Both had personalities that complimented the other; Snick was shy and withdrawn, while Cord was brave and willing to lead the two into trouble. Cordie was an adventurer from the start.

Our girls would travel with us to most places we would go. When we moved into the RV and started park hosting with the Texas State Park system, they were right there along with us. Unfortunately, Snickers developed cancer and before we moved back to Oklahoma, we lost her. Cordie and I grieved together which made our bond even more strong.

When we moved back to Oklahoma we found it easier to visit other states. This in itself enabled us to complete the Oklahoma and Arkansas counties and visit eight more states to get a start on county collecting there. Cordie was right there with us leading the way!

One of the things I loved about Cordie was that she was smart and she would tell you all about it. Cordie would talk to you explaining she needed food, wanted to go for a walk, or let us know it was time to go to bed. Take a few moments and see what she had to say.

She has become a permanent fixture in many of our blog posts here on HIVE and she was loved in the Discord community The Terminal and even has her very own emoji . Then of course she has her bitmoji as well that we use in our blog's traveling image below. Scott and I thank Hive account@thekittygirl for her artwork and preserving our precious Cordie.

Many people have suggested we get another puppy, but the time is not yet. We loved that she enjoyed traveling with us, but because she was a dog many places would not allow her inside. We could not leave her in the car when we would go inside a restaurant, there were always extra charges to allow her in hotels, and most National Parks and many State Parks would not allow dogs. I hated leaving her at home, even though those who sat with her loved doing so. I do not want to put another pet through the separation we often had to put Cordie through; especially in the last couple of months. Eventually, when we are back in an RV it will be time to get another pet.