On November 14, 2001, 9-year-old Katelyn sent us this tribute about her beloved Ashley.

Ashley's Merry Life

Ashley was adopted from the Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue nine months before I was adopted from China. She was six months when she was adopted and I was two months, so we grew up together! I called her Ah He when I was little and later I called her "garbage mouth" because she liked to eat everything.
   
When I was four years old she went with us to live in Germany for two years. I think she is the only Golden who learned to understand how to obey commands in German and English! Here are some of the best things about her and why I loved her:

    Giving her scraps from the table
    Keeping food away from her
    Watching her look at us out of the living room window in the morning
    Taking her to J. C. Penny for her photograph
    Taking her for walks in the park and the meadow
    Playing with her outside in the snow
    Taking her to the bus stop
    Riding in the car with her on errands
    Walking with her around the block
    Buying treats and toys for her at the pet store
    Having friends play with her, like Cara, Marjorie, & Anne
    Walking her to restaurants in Germany
    Watching her eat grass
    Playing with her as a baby
    Feeding her cheerios as a baby
     Drawing pictures of her and taking sticker photos of her
    Taking her to "show and tell" in 2nd grade
    Talking with her when you feel bad
    Having her sleep next to my bed
    Throwing sticks for her to chase
    Giving her dog biscuits
    Dressing her up for Halloween
    Making her chase after you
    Walking her in the morning while getting the newspaper
    Cleaning up her poops
    Giving her a bath
    Taking her to Grammy's house
    Loving her all the time

   
Last week I learned that Ashley had cancer in her lung and tumors on her shoulder and a problem with her blood. She stopped eating and got very weak — these were the only behaviors that could tell us that she was so sick. We had to put her to sleep on Monday night 11/12/01. We are planning to get another Golden puppy sometime in December, but I will still love Ashley the best! I had good times playing with her all of my life. I miss her very much.