Mabel Jane Bartlett 2006-2022

Mabel Jane was born in 2006 and died on June 17th, 2022 at the ripe old age of 16. Her parents adopted her as a puppy after falling in love with the adorable and somewhat quirky outcome of a basset hound crossed with a cocker spaniel. She was friendly and kind but chronically opinionated and could howl like a basset when the spirit moved her.

She was her parents’ pride and joy and they would often promenade in their neighborhood, catching the attention of passers by who oohed over her curious gait, sagging jowls and floppy ears. On Mabel’s second birthday, she was toasted by alfresco diners on the Plaza who noticed her strutting down the sidewalk with her signature lumbering sophistication.

Mabel spent most of her early years frolicking in her backyard, snuggling with her dad in the sunroom and helping her mom study on the couch. She shared her home with a snarky cat named Mickey (who was kind of an asshole and who’s existence has been largely forgotten). When Mabel was about one year old, she became big sister to Charlie, the one-eyed cocker spaniel. A typical brother and sister relationship, Mabel tried to ignore Charlie’s obnoxious antics, acted annoyed by his presence, but deep down loved him dearly.

When Mabel was three, she became a big sister again, this time to a human child. Over the years, she would acquire two more human children who she lovingly allowed to pull her ears, smooch her cheeks and rub her belly. One of Mable’s favorite things was a good belly rub and she received no shortage of them during her 16 years.

In Mabel’s later years, she enjoyed looking out the front window, drooling on the windowsill and barking at nothing in particular. She had an affinity for paper products and would follow her nose around the house tracking down loose pieces of paper, tissue and cardboard to snack on. In the last couple of years, Mabel’s hearing faded and she developed some doggie dementia. She frequently forgot what she was doing, couldn’t remember if she was coming or going and couldn’t hear anyone calling for her. This resulted in quite a bit of barking which always sounded very opinionated and indignant. As she aged, she recognized that she could get away with pretty much anything and wouldn’t shy away from peeing on the floor with zero regard for the forehead smacking this would cause her family.

When her buddy Charlie died in 2020 everyone assumed that Mabel would enjoy the solitude, however it became clear immediately that Mabel needed another furry friend. Ruby, the corgie/blue heeler, was adopted later in 2020 and after a brief adjustment period became Mabel’s loyal companion. Ruby, being much younger, still has keen senses and let Mabel know when she needed to run to the front door to bark at anyone and anything. The one sense that did not fail Mabel was her sense of smell. Up until the very end, she could smell dinner cooking and knew just when to saunter out into the dining room to rest her head on someone’s knee and bark until she was given her scraps.

We knew Mabel was nearing the end, but having bounced back from a couple of serious illnesses, we all started to think that maybe she had a few more years in her. On June 16th she had a good morning (perhaps her rally) and then deteriorated quickly during the course of the evening. We palliated her as best we could, loved on her as her breathing grew more shallow and let her know it was okay if she needed to go. She died peacefully over night with Ruby by her side keeping watch.

We will miss her dearly but are grateful for the 16 years of attitude and love she gave us.

The family would like to thank the Roeland Park Veterinary Center (especially Dr. Cindrich) for caring for Mabel for the past 16 years and the Amos Family Pet Crematory for their kind and compassionate service.