It is through endless tears and with a heavy heart that I write to say we have lost our beloved, Lacie. She, who found her way into our home and hearts with the help of Rose McAuliffe nearly 4 years ago, passed away yesterday from a cancerous tumor.

Some of you may remember her as "Xena" the Airedale Goddess - all 106 pounds of her! A big girl with an even bigger heart she had to leave her prior home when her family couldn't take care of her due to their work schedule and she was lucky enough to make her way to Southwest Airedale Terrier Rescue. Having recently lost our last 'Dale we were determined to find another one to spoil rotten.

I'll never forget seeing Lacie for the first time. Not only was she HUGE but she was completely bald as well!

Seems that her former family never got around to taking her to the beauty salon for some much needed primping so the only option when she got to her temporary SWAT home was to shave her. But, bald or not, she was still beautiful to us.

We were told that she was quite the couch potato and, once home, she wasted no time proving that to be the case.

She immediately staked out her spot on the sectional and it was there she spent endless hours lying on her back, sound asleep with mouth open and all fours pointed straight up!

Lacie was a doll. A perfect lady with impeccable manners when someone came to the door. The seasoned traveler who always held her leash in her mouth while riding in the car (or at least until she realized there was an open window through which to catch the wind in her hair). She loved saying hello to all the neighbors while out on her daily walk and she even developed a fondness for our pool. Never one to complain she barely whimpered after being attacked by some cactus that resulted in, not one, but two trips to the emergency vet. The same thing was the case when she suffered a rattlesnake bite two years ago that required an overnight stay at the hospital plus the antivenin - she never made a sound even while in extreme pain. She was just amazing and we are so very lucky to have found her. We will miss her for many years to come.

Beth, Bruce and Brad