After marrying Mark, Dude and I had a Love/Hate relationship..... I loved him very much but hated his antics.... he and Mark's male pomeranian Gizzy did not get along! Gizzy did not take it too well to having another male dog coming into his home to live. So most days Dude was laying on my bed being lethargic and Gizzy and Bella were in the laundry room... Sometimes Mark took Dude to work with him, which Dude LOVED! Some days Mark and I threatened to tie them all up to a tree to see if anyone took them, but we were not serious! Our dogs had special meanings to us, Dude was a gift from Gary to me for my birthday a year before he passed away and Mark and his late wife Robbin raised Poms! So it was easier said than done and trust me I had friends who offered to take them but we couldn't do it! It would of been like giving a disobedient child away! We still loved them and had signed onto it when we each brought them home to become a part of our families!
Dude went into cardiac arrest and was given CPR by a couple of very sweet ladies (Denise and Irene) whom I will be forever grateful for their endeavors. He of course didn't make it... He had a heart murmur that he had for at least 5 years and when boarded over Thanksgiving had some major problems and had been on 2 heart meds and a diarrhetic since. He hated being boarded and suffered from Separation Anxiety. He had just turned 11 years old and I knew his days were numbered. I had never had a dog as long as him nor had I ever been as attached to a dog quite as much... The little guy first won my heart when Gary (my dear late husband) took me to a breeders farmhouse up in Maquoketa, Iowa and I was determined I wanted a female, but they only had one female left and she was a bit crazy, while Dude went and sat by Gary's feet and was quite calm...he chose us.... He was quite the little dog (a boston terrier) he loved Gary more than me, and when Gary would be home recuperating from surgery, Dude is the one who gave him hugs and loved him while I was at work.... YES Dude gave HUGS, you would say "Dude I need a HUG" and he would get on your lap and throw his head against you just as many times as you would ask him to.... When Gary died in 2003 I was not the only one lost, so was Dude... he couldn't understand what had happened to his master. (neither could I) to say the least Dude was the only reason on most days that I would even go home. If it had not been for him to take care of I don't know what I would of done. I sure loved that little dog. I was always glad he couldn't talk cause he sure knew a lot about me! I decided to have Dude cremated so I could take him down to Gary's grave and bury him with Gary. Dude's picture is already on the back of tombstone so why not? So not to be morbid but here is the tombstone with Dude on it.
I knew what it was like to lose my husband and no losing Dude does not compare in the least, but I sure do miss the little guy!
Nancy
Hi Nancy, I just came back and read this post. I'm so sorry to hear about Dude. Even though I don't know you, I do know how hard the loss of a pet can be, particularly one that's helped you through a tough time. I guess I've lived a charmed life, but the death of my own dog when I was 14 still remains the one of the biggest losses in my life. Dogs just have a way of making themselves at home in your heart, don't they? In any case, just wanted to say I'm sorry.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Thanks Debbie, He was a special dog that is for sure and he will always have a special place in my heart! Nancy
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