My Dog Died (and then we got a snake)

This is a happy story, nearly all the way through. No hankie needed, I promise. (And stay tuned for the snake.) First, the dog. Sophie, a Yorkshire terrier was eleven. She died in Kodiak in the fall, before the snow fell. I wasn’t there when she passed. Which was a mercy. I loved her. She had many loves besides me. She loved chasing weasels out at fish camp. She loved riding in the skiff, sticking her nose in the air like dogs do out of car windows.