Some people believe that we don't choose our pets, they choose us. I don't know if that is always true, but it certainly was with our dear Izzy. We had moved to a large farm property outside of Eugene. My husband started noticing a black cat circling the perimeter of the property each day. One day, she was brave enough to approach him and our dog Tucker. She looked at them both as if to say "You can try to scare me away, but I've decided to stay, so give it your best shot." She captured my husband's heart at that moment and quickly became an important member of our family. Izzy claimed this land for her own and felt right at home here. She was a dedicated and savvy hunter who kept the rodent population down. She would follow along with us as we walked around the property. On summer evenings, she would rest on the back porch as we ate dinner and watched the sunset. In the winter, she would rest by the fire while the day closed out. When Tucker passed away of cancer, she mourned him with us and when we brought a new puppy, Arlo, home, she looked at us as though to say "What have you done?," but like any big sister became tolerant of his puppy ways. We were devastated when, in early November, she was diagnosed with cancer of the mouth and jaw. Despite our best efforts and her indomitable spirit, we lost her on February 2nd. But not before she got in one more hunt and walk around the property with us. She was small in stature but a huge presence in our lives and we will miss her for all of our days.