In Loving Memory of Swarley

Some companions arrive in our lives according to a carefully considered plan, while others arrive by total happenstance. People might just happen to stop somewhere on an ordinary day, not seeking a new friend, but that day might end with you falling completely in love. Swarley came into his person’s life with serendipity and joy. During an impulsive trip to visit the Minot zoo, an unexpected stop at a pet store resulted in a life-changing day and the unmistakable feeling of instant connection. Swarley made the decision to add a friend feel less like a choice and more like recognition. Swarley came home that day and spent every day after nearly inseparable from his human. 

Swarley was loyal, loving, and possessed of a personality entirely his own. He was infinitely more than a "pet," he remained a constant companion, an emotional support, and a character for all of his days. Without a doubt, Swarley was his person's soul dog.

Swarley was constant and went everywhere he could with his person. He was there for the best days as much as he was for the difficult ones; he was steadfast through multiple moves and all the changes that come with building a life. He was not bound to the home like many of his peers: Swarley got to join his human in exotic locations like work, where his status as "someone's dog" evolved to "everyone’s dog". Colleagues at this "work" place came to recognize Swarley as part of the team through his rituals that his people came to know well. The moment the car arrived in the office parking lot, he greeted it with an exuberant bark: he knew exactly where he was and announced his arrival. The office loved him, and it is easy to imagine how his familiar bark became part of the rhythm of their workday. He had his own place in that world and was surrounded by people who looked forward to seeing him. Swarley had a remarkable ability to turn wherever he happened to be into a place that felt a little more like home.

At home, his closest companion was Zazzles, his beloved feline fur-sibling. The two were inseparable and shared a bond that required no translation. When Swarley was sick, Zazzles seemed to know. She would give him extra attention, staying close and offering the quiet companionship that animals so often provide one another. His love extended to his human family as well. His grandparents loved him like a grandchild, and Swarley loved them right back. He was surrounded by people who understood what made him special and who were fortunate enough to receive that love in return.

For his person, Swarley was present and attentive through everything. He was there for the laughter and the hard days, the familiar routines and the unfamiliar places. He was there simply because that was what they did: they went through life together. That kind of companionship becomes so deeply woven into a person’s existence that imagining life without it can feel almost impossible.

Swarley was a best friend, an emotional anchor, a constant traveling companion, and an other half. While he was simply "perfect," that wasn't why he was loved. Swarley was uniquely, unmistakably, and unflinchingly Swarley every minute of his life, and that was always more than enough. He will always be the dog who came into a life on an impulsive day in Minot and somehow became a lifelong part of the story.