Hearts have been heavy at the Mill Valley Chamber in recent weeks, as Lucy, the sweet, unassuming-yet-inimitable four-legged canine sidekick of her owner, Chamber staffer Susan Lopes, passed away on May 8. Lucy was 14.

Visitors to the Mill Valley Chamber office and Visitor Center in recent years could be forgiven for not knowing Lucy very well, as she spent much of her days at the 85 Throckmorton Ave. tucked behind the desk catching up on her beauty sleep.

“We’d arrive at 10am, and Lucy would sleep in her bed until precisely 4pm, the end of the work shift, and be ready to go, always trying her best to steer me to Wells Fargo or Two Neat for treats,” Lopes says. It was also on those walks to the car that Lucy, knowing that going to the bathroom would often result in said treats, would  “try to trick us by doing air pees.”

But the memories of recent years only hinted at the hilariously feisty side of Lucy in her youth. “She won every war,” Lopes says. “She would stare down every dog, making a little annoying noise and win whatever she wanted – a toy, a bone, a bed – every single time. She had tons of patience and was tenacious.”

Lucy, who often held her bone in her mouth like a cigar, was also known to hang out with the big dogs, often refusing to acknowledge the existence of dogs her own size in favor of big dogs, like her big brother Luke, a yellow lab.

Lopes and family, friends and colleagues have years of great memories of Lucy, and we encourage you to leave yours in the comments below. We miss you Lucy!

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