Arwen came to our family as an adoptee from the Evergreen Golden Retriever Rescue in 2015. She quickly took over as the leader of the pack and had Mom, Dad and son swooning over her every need. As a rescued dog found wandering the streets of Tacoma half-hairless having been thrown out of a puppy mill after developing a thyroid condition, Arwen was a kind gentle dog who had already been through a lot in life. Over the seven amazing years our family was privileged to live with Arwen, she accompanied us nearly everywhere we went. Whether it be work, errands, dinner at friends' homes or cross-country skiing, she became an integral part of our family unit. As the resident alley dog for our small, but busy, neighborhood, she would sit outside on the grass for hours on end to greet any passerby with a tail wag, often leaving our family to come outside and find complete strangers sitting down next to her enjoying a few minutes of that unadulterated, four-legged, heart to heart love.

When Alden got a job working with the world-renowned Paul Brown at the local pet-supply shop, Wally Pets, Arwen tagged along. Sitting by the door or walking with customers around the store for hours on end, Arwen became the (un)official mascot with customers left asking "where's that amazing dog of yours" whenever she wasn't there.

Our family could not have been more blessed to spend so many fantastic years with Arwen, and we know she will never stop making friends in her next life, no matter where it might take her.