Dear Scott,

Last week, within 2 days of each other, we lost our beloved 11 year old dogs. We are both having to cope with ghost dogs and the cats who miss them.

I don't know what your day to day interactions with Kirby were, but I am completely sure you are still starting to do them and then suddenly realizing that he's not there.

I haven't decided which of us is the more "fortunate". I was with Maddie in our living room when she died and you weren't able to be with Kirby. But, on the other hand, you get to remember Kirby as Kirby and not have to deal with the intermediate steps of Kirby to animatronic Kirby to not Kirby. My memories of Maddie will always be overlaid with her actual ending. My husband and kids, while they have the intellectual knowledge of what happened at the end, in their hearts have the happy happy dog who is no more.

The big difference between our losses is that you are the artist of a popular strip with thousands of followers and I'm not. The people who know about my Maddie are people who also knew her and grieve for me and with me out of personal knowledge. You have to deal with the few people who genuinely understand your grief to those who sympathize with you but don't quite know how to express it to those who are taking the opportunistic to moment to say "Hey Scott!! Look at me. I'll come up with something that will show you how deep and cool I am".

I am one of the first group, especially in the timing. You have my complete empathy and sorrow and I wish I could tell you how soon you will not have this terrible emptiness, but I can't because I still have that same emptiness myself...

In honor of my dog, Maddie, who died today

They like me.
I think they're swell.
Isn't it remarkable
How things turn out so well?


Pleasant day, pretty sky
Life goes on, here I lie
Not bad, not bad at all.

Cozy home, board and bed
Sturdy roof beneath my head
Not bad, not bad at all.

Faithful friends
Always near me,
Bring me bones,
Scratch my ear

Little birds
Come to cheer me
Ev'ry day
Sitting here,
On my stomach
With their sharp little claws
Which are usually cold,
And occasionally painful,
And sometimes there are so many
That I can hardly stand it...

Rats!

I feel ev'ry now and then
That I gotta bite someone.
I know ev'ry now and then what I wanna be.
A fierce jungle animal crouched on the limb
Of a tree

[GIRLS (offstage)]
La la la la la la la la la la la la la

[SNOOPY]
La la la la la la la la la la la la la
I'd stay very very still
Till I see a victim come.
I'd wait knowing very well ev'ry second counts.
And then like the fierce jungle creature I am
I would pounce!
I'd pounce!
I'd punce!
I'd-

You know, I never realized it was so far down to
the ground from up here.

Let me see, where was I?
Oh, that's right, the pretty sky,
Not bad, not bad at all.

Cozy home, board and bed
Sturdy roof beneath my head
Not bad, not bad at all.
Not bad, not bad at all.

I wonder if it will snow tonight.

- Snoopy's Song, You're Good man Charlie Brown, lyrics by Clark Gesner