One thing I've noticed about animals in general (at least pets such as dogs and cats; I have never had "livestock" animals) is that they will always, always, always overlook easy-to-clean hard surfaces and seek out some sort of carpet or rug to vomit on. My [personal hypothesis is that, when an animal is in distress (ie, feeling sick, about to barf) they will seek out something that feels more natural and comforting, and carpet feels more like grass. That's a pretty out-there kinda hypothesis, but whatever; I'm throwing spaghetti to see what might stick in my sense of logic.

By the time this comic was posted --July 29th of 2019-- the real-life Sadie had a couple days left to go. By August 1st, she was gone from this world. I had tried to put a positive or humorous spin on the situation in some manner, as a way to deal with it, but I was emotionally rent by the loss of my dog and could not focus on anything for two weeks. I have no actual memory of those two weeks after her demise, only a crushing emptiness and despair. The next comic didn't come until August 15th, and by then I desperately needed to work on the comic as a way to reclaim a sense of normalcy.

Sadie was a transformative dog in my life. I came home from Iraq in 2005 and for a year I pretty much drifted, trying to reconnect with a sense of reality. My then-girlfriend (later wife) and I adopted a tiny, wiggling ball of puppy fat from an animal rescue and named her Sadie. That puppy gave me something to anchor to, and I began to reconnect through her. Training her, raising her, growing that little dog, became something to focus on outside myself. It would be hard for me to imagine a more deeply impactful companion.