This page is to honor the memory of our beloved dog Cinder. We purchased Cinder barely 2 months old from an animal shelter in January 1994. She was a mix of flatcoated retriever and border collie. Her long fur was black as cinders, thus her name. Loving friends jokingly called her Cinder-block.

Her first bed was a blanket tucked into a large Macy's gift box, and later she claimed an old Garfield comforter to layon. She was an intelligent dog that loved to go explore the neighborhood, but would always return home within an hour or so. She guarded our home fearlessly with a ferocious bark, but was useless for security once petted or handed a treat. She would chase a ball and bring it back, but never give it to you.

When she was a young dog she would act out her herding instincts and try to round up the neighborhood kids. She would gently nudge their legs to move them closer to where she wanted them.

Whenever we would travel Cinder would visit Grand-Mother's house, where she was spoiled and all of her training undone. We recently found out that she even ran away from Grand-Mother a couple of times but would alway be found before we returned home. She spent a couple of nights in strangers garages and backyards.

Her bad habits included scratching at the carpet and hiding in the bath tub during thunder storms. She had the worst smelling gas if not fed prescription dog food and treats. The odor would drive you out of the house. Other than that she was a healthy and loving dog.

In recent months she was diagnosed with a slipped disk in her spine which caused her pain when climbing steps or merely getting up. She also went deaf. The last week of her life she was not able to get up on her own, and today seemed to lose the will to move at all. My wife and I made the difficult decision to end her pain and attended as she was put peacefully to sleep. She will be missed and loved always.

Learn more about humane pet euthanasia