Arizona Payne

Arizona Joplin Payne crossed the rainbow bridge Thursday, February 22nd surrounded by her moms.

Born November 2nd, 2016 in Taylorsville, North Carolina. Arizona was the daughter of Natalie and Charlie Payne. She arrived at their home on January 25th, 2017 as a temporary foster. Charlie thought they had enough dogs but Arizona had a different plan. It took 2 days to have Charlie wrapped around her tiny paw.

Arizona is survived by her moms; two sisters Bear and Daisy; and her brother Stone. She was preceded in death by her uncle CJ Payne and her grandparents who were there to greet her.

Arizona loved her stuffed animals, her “babies” especially her pet duckie. She was the Queen of neighborhood watch, alerting us to any potential dangers heading our way. She loved critter watching from the windows, sunbathing (would beg for five more minutes), she loved “sweater weather” and modeling her new threads for all to see. Our other dogs were camera shy but not Arizona. She loved to pose for a good photo shoot. Arizona had a special bond with her siblings, especially her brother. They were inseparable. She hated dog beds. I guess she preferred the sofa.

Arizona was the youngest of her siblings. She made that known every night at bedtime. There was a ritual of how she would have to be tucked in for the night. She had no problem letting you know if you got it wrong.

Most of all, Arizona loved her moms. Always the first at the door to howl and do the “wiggle butt dance” when they came home. She spent every day letting you know how much she loved you. She knew no strangers and loved anyone she met.

Our sweet girl experienced a medical emergency. Her moms never left her side and made sure she knew how much she was loved to the very end.

She will forever be in our hearts and we will never forget the wonderful memories she left us with. We will think of her every time we cook, she loved to assist with her head between your ankles, just in case you needed her. If anything dropped onto the floor, she immediately grabbed it and brought it to you. She liked to keep things tidy. She even arranged her “babies” and kept them in order. We will keep things tidy sweet girl and take it from here. We love you and you are missed tremendously.