Good-bye Sweet Boy

It seems like I was just trying to come up with words and photos to honor our sweet Winnie girl and here I am again today, struggling to find words worthy of our Poohby. He left this world in my arms early this morning and is now running and playing with Winnie in heaven. He's no longer in pain, he can breathe easily and his heart is no longer broken.

Ours, however, are. We know that we did the right thing by ending his suffering. We know that he is in a much better place, but selfishly, we still want him here with us.

What a sweet boy Pooh was. He had a huge heart (literally and figuratively). As he was laying in my arms at the vet, he hardly had the strength to lift his head, yet he was kissing my tears away. That was Poohby. He made so many people happy - young and old. Whether it was neighbor kids or his friends that we visit at the nursing home, he made people smile wherever he went. You couldn't let that gentle demeanor fool you though. His passion awoke when the leash came out! He'd let out a bark, wag his tail and dance around to show how excited he was. He slowed down a lot these past few months. We could only walk about a block, but he still loved going.

Pooh's other love was food! Luckily for us, getting his three daily pills was something he looked forward to because he knew he got a Milkbone. In his younger years, he would even roll over at the promise of a tasty morsel.

I forgot to tell Poohby to mind his manners and not beg God for treats like he did Santa!

Poohby loved to hang out at Grandma and Grandpa's house! If he wasn't curled up with them, then it was with a special blankie at their house. In this picture, he was so sleepy, but didn't want to miss anything while we played a game so he slept in a chair.
My perfect little model! I devised this little contraption so that he and Winnie's feet wouldn't get cold on sub-zero days. He gladly let me put them on him.

What a shot! Poohby and Daddy taking a snooze

Baaaaaaad to the Bone

This boy is the life of the party :)

Helping Mommy wrap presents was hard work

Oh Daddy - is that a Frosty Paws that I smell???

Poohby's first day on the job

Snoozing with Daddy

Interesting choice of spots to nap in....

Pooh was sweet, cuddly, loyal and loving. Our lives just will not be the same without him. We love you buddy and we already miss you more than words can say. Thank you for all of the joy and happiness you brought to our lives.

The Loan

The Loan
Author Unknown

"I'll lend to you for a little time,
A child of mine," God said,

"For you to love the while she lives

And mourn for when she's dead.

It may be ten or eleven years

Or only two or three,

But will you 'til I call her back,

Take care of her for me?

She'll bring her charms to gladden you

And should her stay be brief,

You'll have these precious memories

As solace for your grief.

I cannot promise she will stay

Since all from earth return.

But there are lessons taught down there

I want this pup to learn.

I've looked this world over,

In my search for teachers true

And in the crowds that throng life's land,

I have selected you.

Now will you give her all your love

Not think the labor vain,

Nor hate me when I come to call

To take her back again?"

It seems to me I heard them say,

"Dear Lord, thy will be done.

For all the joy that she shall bring,

The risk of grief we'll run.

We'll shelter her with tenderness,

We'll love her while we may,

And for the happiness we've known

Forever grateful stay.

And should the angels call for her

Much sooner than we've planned,

We'll brave the bitter grief that comes

And try to understand."

Rest in Peace Sweet Winnie Girl

Today was a really tough day. We've known for the last few months that it was coming, but you can't ever really prepare your heart to say good-bye to a best friend. Winnie was one of the best dogs that we have ever met. She was friendly and silly, loving and loyal. We were so incredibly blessed to have had her in our lives. It was such a coincidence that when they needed someone to love them and help heal their broken hearts from losing their elderly owner, we needed someone to love to help heal our broken hearts from losing our dog Cooper. I just can't say enough good things about Winnie. We love her so much. We are at peace knowing that she is healthy and running around heaven with Cooper. We're sure that her first owner was waiting at the gates for lots of Winnie kisses and hugs.

Rest in peace little Winnie Girl. Your pain is over now. Mommy, Daddy and Poohby love you and will miss you until we meet again in heaven.

I love this photo. She looks like she's doing an Elvis impersonation, but really we caught her mid-crunch on a Milkbone.

Doesn't she look so carefree and happy here?

We couldn't get over how many "smiles" the photographer caught that day.

Snuggling with Daddy when he had the flu

Hanging out with Poohby and her chewy

Sound asleep only the way Winnie could do it - resting her nose on her hind leg!

Best friends and partners in crime!

When Love Hurts

When we adopted Winnie and Pooh 4 years ago, our hearts were timid and scared to love again after having to put down our dog, Cooper. But when we walked into the pet store on adoption day, it was love at first sight when I saw Winnie. She was wearing a red bandanna around her neck and had scruffy fur that reminded me of a Boyd's Bear. Pooh was outside going potty when we inquired about Winnie. Their foster parents said that they'd like to keep them together if at all possible. Their owner was an elderly woman who had passed away and they had been pretty traumatized by going to Animal Control. They were 7 years old and no one adopted them after their five day stay, so they would've been put down had Second Chance Animal Rescue not stepped in and taken them.

Paul and I took a drive and discussed the pros and cons to having 2 dogs - after all, we were only planning on getting one. After making our decision, we said we'd go back to the store and if they were still there, it was meant to be. They were there, but with a crowd of people gathered around them. My heart dropped, thinking that one of these other people might have already adopted them.

They quickly became a part of our home. We were sooooo blessed to adopt these great dogs! They proved to be loving and sweet and so mellow. They loved to cuddle and go for walks and were great with our friends' kids.

Over the course of the last year, Winnie has lost her hearing and a lot of her sight as well. Recently, she's developed a lot of other issues - becoming disoriented easily, having accidents, becoming extremely clumsy, crying and screaming in the night, not remembering simple commands. We visited the vet four weeks ago and found out that she has something called Cognitive Dysfunctional Syndrome and she is pretty far advanced. CDS is similar to Alzheimer's in humans. The vet said that there is medication that can sometimes improve their quality of life, but he didn't think she would benefit much from it at this point. We decided to try it anyway. He took blood to make sure her organs were healthy enough to handle this strong medicine. She was, so she started on it immediately. The vet said that if she was going to see any benefit from it, she'd see it by about week 2-3.

So far, we've not seen any changes in her condition. She has good moments and she has bad moments. When it is 2:00AM and we wake up to her screaming as if she's been hit by a car and we can't settle her down because she is so confused and shaken up, we feel like maybe it is her time to go. But then the next morning, she acts as if nothing happened and follows me around as I get ready for work begging for a treat.

Have you ever loved something or someone so much that it hurts? Paul and I have been agonizing over what to do for the last 4 weeks. We can't imagine our house without Winnie. It just wouldn't be the same. But we love her so much that we don't want her to hurt or to be confused anymore either. Just when we think we know what we should do - what is our responsibility to do, then she goes and does something extra cute and silly like she's telling us that it's not her time.

I've prayed a lot about this and asked God to give me signs when it is her time to go. And each time I ask, He gives them to me - a worse night than usual where she screams and is extra confused, an accident in the hallway that she paces through a hundred times and gets poop everywhere while we are at work, an extra skittish night when she freaked out while Paul was holding her and flailed out of his arms hitting her nose on his night stand on the way down. Each day, there is a new thing that happens.

I hate the thought of playing God and trying to determine when her life should be over. What if we end it too soon? Any of you pet lovers know how excruciating this decision is. Please say a prayer for us and for Winnie Girl.