What’s In A Name?
In 2009, a beautiful yellow labrador retriever came into our lives. She was an older dog, but we were okay with that because we are of the opinion that old dogs are the best dogs. Besides, we knew she was special the moment we saw her photos. She so special, in fact, that we decided to adopt her even though she was in Indiana and we were in Washington. She got on a plane and flew across the country and when she got here, she became the best dog we have ever had the pleasure of walking this earth with.
Her name was Lucy.
Shortly after we adopted Lucy, she was diagnosed with cancer. Lucy was a trooper, a fighter, and we fought cancer hard. We became those crazy people that we used to roll our eyes at. We tried radiation, chemo and experimental drugs. After 19 rounds of radiation, Lucy had a bare pink spot on her cheek and she was looking tired. Then Bill came into the room and said, “You have to remind her that she’s a pretty yellow dog, every day, because she is so pretty.” When Bill told Lucy she was pretty, her whole face lit up.
This became her new nickname. For the remaining year that we had with our very special girl, we came into the house looking for her by saying, “Where’s my pretty yellow dog?”
We sent Lucy to Rainbow Bridge in August 2011, just 21 months after adopted her. She was an inspiration to us in so many ways, and it may seem silly to take inspiration from a dog, but that’s what made her so special. Lucy was full of life and laughter. She was strong and she fought hard for the things she loved, but she knew when to stop and smell the cheese. She found joy in every single thing she did and every moment of her life was worth living. Our time with Lucy was a gift and we did not waste a single moment. We packed an entire lifetime of love into those 21 months.
Before Lucy passed away, we decided that it was time for us to start doing things that we wanted to do with our lives. This software company is the first step on that ladder. We chose to call our company Pretty Yellow Dog after our sweet girl, because it was the inspiration that she provided that has made this possible. It is our belief that the world would be a better place if we all lived our lives the way that Lucy did and more people would seek and find happiness and love in their lives if they did.