I have a few updates, some good some not so good, but it I will recount the last year with a few pictures, a few funny stories and more then likely a few tears!
I better just get it over with and quit prolonging my dread. So this summer, early July, my sweet Cooper girl passed away. I had Cooper since she was six months old! I stopped by to the animal shelter in the Duncanville/DeSoto area on my home from work one day, just to see what kind of dogs they had. I asked the man if they had any puppies and he pointed me in the right direction. I went in to take a look and there she was. This furry little ball, huddled in the back of her cage. I opened it up and pulled her out, she was small and very happy. As soon as I put her on the floor she rolled over and I thought, "Oh, no...if she pees from excitement I am not getting her." She didn't. She did roll on her back and put her paws up, which was something she did often when she was excited. I am not sure why I didn't take her home that day? But the next day, on my way back from work, I stopped in and thought, if she is still there, I'll get her. I did! I thought it would take a week or so for my application to be accepted and the paperwork to go through, no not at that animal shelter. I paid my $5 and they gave me my dog!
As soon as she was big enough, we started puppy school and she was the best one! She was little older then the others puppies but way smarter them! Coop and I had our battle of the wills, but because she was such a good girl, she let me win a lot! I always felt like I could trust her, maybe because she trusted me. That makes a lot of sense. We just had that bond.Cooper was more than likely 14 years old and she had really crappy bones. Her poor knee was shot after her ACL surgery and she hobbled on three legs for several years. Then the summer before, I noticed a tumor growing on the back of her bad leg. It was really a mass. I knew it was cancer, why wouldn't it be? Turns out she did have lymphoma, so because of her age, her vet suggested prednazone, no surgery since the cancer was probably in different parts or would spread to parts of her body.
I would notice, Cooper not being able to make it up the deck steps, she would stumble or have to really think about hopping up the steps. Sometimes she would trip going out the dog door. Those little things. I would just encourage her, "You can do it, Take your time!" One day this summer, I noticed she was just laying around, not like Cooper. She didn't even follow me from room to room? Something is wrong. She stayed in the same spot for a couple of days and I knew it was time, poor baby. I am stopping here in my story. I don't think anyone would want to read any more and plus, the rest is mine. Not something I want to share, it's just for me and my sweet girl who I miss on daily basis.
I miss her so much, it make my heart hurt and tears pour out of my eyes. I think about all of the fun we had and how we use to gang up on Tucker and make fun of him and how I talked to her all the time and ask her questions, I miss all of her hair in my yard and in my house. I miss her smell and her soft ears. I miss not having her around. I took care of her for 14 years......that's a lot of time to be around another living thing. 14 years is a long time.
I got my boy in December of 1999. He was a Christmas gift to my Dad from Stacey and I. We got him at 8 weeks old and he was the last one of his litter. We all lived with Tucker, as a baby and I think all of us, Stacey, Sarah and I fell in love with that little guy. Sarah will probably say she didn't, but I think she did!
When we went up to visit my parents for New Years, Stacey and I both agreed that we missed Tuck and we wanted him back. It turned out great, because my Dad had just gotten Mia, a rottweiler puppy about a 1 year old, from my cousin who couldn't keep her while he was away at college. Crazy timing! So, it was settled, we got to keep Tucker and I don't think we ever gave my dad a replacement present but maybe it was because we took him back. That was a gift in it's self!
Tucker was a big baby. He cried and whined all the time, he peed in the house until he was well over a year old and he was horrible at crate training. I would hear him cry at 3:30 in the morning and couldn't stand it. I had to go get him from the crate and I would put him in the bed with me and he was fine! Then I started taking all of the girls, Cooper, Brodie and Sage on walks. I couldn't leave Tucker in the house with Stacey and Sarah asleep, he would cry like crazy. So I zipped up my jacket plopped him in there and walked the girls while holding him. Too bad, I didn't have one of the baby carrying things back then!
I then acquired Tucker as my very own when I moved out after living with Stacey and Sarah for a couple of years. I think I took Stacey and Sarah to dinner as my payment to keep Tucker. Stacey and I split the cost of Tucker $350 and that was the best money I ever spent!
Tucker had been really sick since March of this year. The summer before I noticed a couple of small changes in him, he was loosing his hearing and he was loosing weight. But I figured that is part of growing old. Then in March, he became so sick. I took to the doctor and they diagnosed him with a heart condition. They put him on a diuretic and some other medication. He would barely eat and just lay around. Again, I'll spare the details of all of it but he would have these "episodes" every six weeks or so. I would boil chicken to get him to eat, squeeze water in his mouth, and force feed him his pills. He was one tough patient! But he would bounce back and be his same old cooky self. Then this summer, he had another episode and as I was petting him, I found two ping-ball size lumps under he neck. I knew then that he had a type of lymphoma and that it was probably misdiagnosed. After looking at his medical records, he lost 41lbs. in less than a year! Yeah, he was really sick.
I love that dog, he was my boy! As much as I make fun him, it is always with love. He was just such a goof-ball. He was cute and chubby and had such attitude and could look at me and his expression would change. I think of him everyday, I still have pictures of him and Cooper around my house, on my computer and I just don't have the heart to change it yet. Just like I said about Cooper, I want them back so much, I want to be able to see them again, kiss them one more time. But then what....they would just have to leave me again.
One thing that helps me, is that I believe they are together, they are not sick, not loosing their hearing, Cooper's knee is perfect, Tucker is his same old funny self and they are having a ball....together! I use to make jokes that Tucker was such a shit to Brodie, Mia and Cooper,(he loved Sage never messed with her) that when he met up with those girls in heaven they would pull a few tricks on him at first, maybe not let him in the pearly gates right at first. At least not until he apologies to each one of them!
I know it's only been 5 months without them both and boy do I miss them. This holiday season, I found all of my Basset and Cooper Christmas ornaments, I found Tucker's big paw stocking and the address labels I made with all of the dogs wearing Santa hats, it was hard.....but I think writing this has helped me and I hope when I think of them in the next 5 months it will be more joyful. I think it will. I have great memories of my babies and I am so thankful they were a part of my life and I got to be in their lives.
My Tiffy is doing great. She is pushing 11 or 12 and is completely blind but this girl is amazing! AMAZING! She navigates around the house, quite well and is a pro with the dog door. I had that installed the summer right before she lost her sight and that has been a life saver.
She mainly an inside dog now and loves it. She has the run of the house, she has her nap spots on her bed and in her chair in the den and doesn't have to worry too much about bumping into Cooper, who never cared and Tucker who did! We still go on walks every morning and she now even gets to come to Friday Happy Hours at my Mom and Dad's house. She loves to eat the cat's food when she goes over. But I am learning and I run and close the door before she gets in there.
This summer, Tiff and I had...."A Battle with the Kitchen Garbage Can". I would leave and she would knock it over, shred everything all over the floor. I put a brick in the bottom of the garbage can. Nope, she made a point. I got a new garbage can with a lid (I am not sure what I thought the lid would do) Nope, she made a point. I put an elastic band around the garbage can and secured it to the wall. Nope, she made a point! That's 3 points Tiffy, 0 points Angie! Hump, I am stumped. I finally resorted to a baby gate and I won! It took most of the summer for me to figure that one out!
I know this has not be the best post of 2013 but it technically is still 2012! So, my next post will be about Emery and her chicken pox! Oh yeah she's got chicken pox which also means her little brother Eli, will also have chicken pox! Stayed tuned.......
1 comment:
This post made me cry. Cooper and Tucker were awesome. I like to think of them getting into trouble *somewhere* too!
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