How I miss you so. And I remember...
How patient Hank was when you were a puppy and would jump up and try to bite his nose but couldn't quite reach.
How a simple knotted sock that smelled like me helped us bond forever.
Teaching you to catch treats using popcorn to practice with.
How you always licked my tears away in troubled times.
How you faithfully followed me from room to room in the house in order to always be by my side, and at any time I could just hold my hand out and your little head would appear beneath it for a scratch.
How quickly you learned to sit, and then we gave up on obedience training, but you would always sit on command.
How you loved to chase walnuts shot from a slingshot way out into the field.
How you loved water, especially the canal near the ranch. Swimming in the hot tub. Chasing balls into the river. I wish there had been more opportunities for you to swim.
How you loved to ride in the car with your feet on the passenger armrest and your head out the window, and how patient you always were while waiting for me everywhere we went. And how whenever we stopped at a convenience store you expected a beef stick when I got back in the car, which I was happy to give you and never forgot.
How your eyes got so big and you stood frozen and uncertain the first time a cat rubbed against you affectionately. But then you began to like the cats and they all loved you, as well.
How you and Hank used to whine whenever Billy and I got affectionate with each other.
How in the winter you slept next to me on the bed with your back against my side.
How you hated to have your picture taken and would turn away.
How you loved chocolate ice cream...well, chocolate in general. I was so glad the bites I shared with you never made you sick.
How I could call out, ‘Shower Dog!' after I'd take a shower and you'd come in and lick my feet dry.
How you stood still for your frequent baths, even though you wanted to run away.
How you loved putting your ‘necklace' and ID tag back on after a bath.
How you would walk up on top of the levee on the side of Jackson Road when I went for bike rides, and be there to meet me when I came back over the hill towards home. Or you waited in the driveway patiently for my return, never trying to follow or venturing into the street.
How you hated to have your nails clipped until I finally found the right style of clippers.
How you tended to whine when you wanted attention from me, and how I always made a point of patting you on the head and giving you a kiss when I was too busy to play with you.
Your imperfections...fatty deposits, especially the huge one under your left foreleg and the tumor growing outside the skin of your left hindquarter. Your constant battle with flaky skin and unsightly dandruff. The few years that you weighed 55 pounds, 10 pounds overweight, until I put you on senior formula food and you dropped 10 pounds very quickly and looked perfect.
I wonder if I caused the brain tumor that killed you when I didn't realize you had an ear infection until it got really bad...
And I will always remember how you begged me to take the pain away when you started having seizures, and how your eyes said thank you when you gave me your last kiss at the vet's.
Then a week later my first thought upon waking was that I wanted to plant a rose bush in your honor. When I went outside to get the newspaper, one of my employees had brought me a beautiful yellow rose bush and left it on the driveway. I knew it was a sign from you that you are all right and not frightened and alone. Thank you for that sign, baby. I planted the yellow rose bush at the fence line between our yard and the field where you and I would play and fly kites, although I don't feel much like going back there without you right now....maybe someday.
Oh, Boo, I miss you sooooooooo much! I'm trying to get used to your absence one minute at a time, and some minutes are easier than others, but I don't think I'll ever stop missing you. Fifteen years together was a gift, I know, but God, I feel so alone and lost without you and your constant adoration. Even the cats keep looking for you in your usual spot, especially your little buddy Coco.
Wait for me, my good girl Delilah, and be happy and healthy. I love you, baby, and will be with you again someday.
xoxoxoxo,
Mamma Terri
321-784-1468 Tech Support
