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michelehbc
08-06-2008, 01:01 AM
We have been on the subject of our fondest memories of pets, and I wanted to share these two angels with ya'll.

These are the dogs who taught me to love animals.
We got Sunny when I was 4, a man was going to tie her in a sack and throw her in the river. My Mother's friend heard about it, and stole her away, and brought her to us. She was a beautiful golden retriever who loved everyone and was a nurturer, mothering everyone! She hated to leave my Mother's side, but she let me sprawl all over her, and play with her, though she was a lady, not the wrestling type, you know.

When we got Dozer I was 8. Sunny was always my mother's baby, and Dozer quickly became mine. He came to me when he was a tiny pup, a pipsqueek of a boxer, our neighbor bought him, and could not handle him. He was meant to be mine. As he grew, and MAN did he grow, he became a big strong muscular dog, with the heart of a kitten. He was my best friend in the whole world. We would cruise through the woods together, exploring and playing, rolling in the mud,and looking for trouble! One snowy night, I was playing in the yard with Dozer, and I threw a stick, and he came back and put something in my hand to throw for him, but it was not a stick- it was a FROZEN DEAL SQUIRREL!!! At night, he would curl up in my bed, and dream with me about running in the woods again. When kids at school were *******s, Dozer was always there. When I felt down and pimply and fat as a teen, Dozer thought that I was a beautiful fairy princess who needed to be keeesed and keesed.

When I was 17, Dozer developed a brain tumor. We tried EVERYTHING. Even holistic medicine, herbs, a dog psychic, acupuncture. He eventually became so confused that I was the only person he recognized, and when I was away, he became desperate and scared. I had to make the decision to put him down. He was my baby, and my mom let me make the call. I said NO NO NO, until one night, I woke up, and my precious baby was not in bed with me. He had jumped down and gotten stuck under my bedside table. He was moaning softly to himself, he was so muddled that he could not figure out how to back out from underneath the table. My heart broke, and I knew it was time. A week later, I drove him to the vet. I seriously contemplated driving away with him, and never looking back. I asked him what he thought about that, and he looked at me with sad sad, tired and confused eyes. I knew. I just knew. I sat in the back room of that vet's office and held my big boy, 55 pounds now, down from 70, in my lap, just like I always had, and as he passed, I whispered in his ear "I love you, my big boy, mommy loves you forever" I felt him shiver one last time, and leave. I buried him in the woods where we used to play. I did it alone, I dug the hole, and I put him in, wrapped in the comforter off of my childhood bed where we had shared so many sweet dreams. I still go visit him sometimes..I talk to him, and I buried a 12 page letter with him, telling him how damn special he was. When I get to wherever I am going when I leave this life, his face is the first I want to see.

After he passed, Sunny was 13 at the time, and she was so confused and sad that her little baby was gone. We went through some rough times. She healed, and so did we. Sunny lived to be old for her breed, 16. When she was old and blind, she would follow me, or mom around the house by putting her nose on us when she laid down, so she knew when we moved, and she could follow us! She went in her sleep, in my mom's bed. My Mom said she would not have it any other way.

These dogs, they were, no, they are so special to me. They helped make me who I am, and I thank God that I was blessed with them, even though their time was more brief than mine.

These are the only photos I could dig up tonight, most of them I took, so I am not in many:

The day we got Dozer
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n132/michelehbc/DSC04659.jpg

The D-man in his usual place (this was Christmas morning, and Papa's leg is in the way, but it is still one of my fave pics for some reason)
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n132/michelehbc/DSC04666.jpg


Dozer helping my brother learn to walk
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n132/michelehbc/DSC04662.jpg

Blowing the fluff
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n132/michelehbc/DSC04660.jpg

Sunny's frosty face (those kind eyes, you see? )
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n132/michelehbc/DSC04664.jpg

Alex's Mom
08-06-2008, 07:58 AM
And just where was the kleenex alert, young lady????? What a wonderful tribute to a heart dog...:hug99::hug99:

Tex
08-06-2008, 08:14 AM
What a beautiful tribute!!!:hearts:

TheDoxieHaus
08-06-2008, 09:21 AM
What a lovely story! Thanks for sharing!

Opaleyz
08-06-2008, 12:02 PM
What a heartwarming tribute to two such wonderful companions. :hearts:

bsquared
08-06-2008, 01:55 PM
Michele! What a beautiful story...and beautiful dogs! :hug99:

Barb
08-06-2008, 02:01 PM
What gorgeous angels you have watching over you and who will be waiting to greet you at The Bridge? Awesome story....those that bring me to tears always are..... :hearts: :hug99: :hearts:

Rae
08-06-2008, 02:50 PM
oh my he!l.. :sad3:

that completely broke my heart.

My best dog story prior to HRH is Taffy. I was a freshman in college living in the dorm and away from home for the first time. A friend who commuted to school asked me to go to the shelter with her to get a cat, so I rode along.

We went early in the morning, right when they opened, and the lady was opening the door when we got there.. .she had her purse and a lunch and her keys and was trying to unlock the door and she asked me to "hold this" so of course I did. It was a hairdryer box, just a small one from a cheap dryer at Wal Mart. And a little tiny wet nose poked up and a little wet tongue licked my hand!

I pulled out said puppy only to find a tiny little female, just one... scared to death. She had been left outside the fence for them to find and "help" I guess. She was so small, but soooooo cute. I asked the lady about her and she sighed and said "we just have so may puppies right now, I don't know... it seems everyone wants a purebred these days, so I don't know what her chances will be."

I knew what that meant.

So I said, in my sweetest voice...."well.... what if you just turned your back and since she's not in the system and TECHNICALLY not even IN the shelter yet, what if she magically disappeared?"

and this angel of a lady smiled the smile of a saint and said "I'm sorry, I can't let you girls in until I do the morning routine of checking on the animals and turning on the coffee pot. Could you wait in your car until I come back and open the door?"

:D

and the rest was history. I lived about 45 minutes from campus, but Taffy (she was the exact color of my friend's mom's recipe for homemade molasses taffy) lived in the dorm for about a month. There were five of us who lived close room-wise and our schedules were staggered enough that someone was always around to see about her and she was not alone.
She went everyhere with me.

I took her home on the weekends, and finally my Mom said "leave Taffy here this week... she is growing and needs a yard to play in"
Good ole Mom :D

She was the most eternally grateful dog ever - she was a true guardian... but only of me. I was running wild and it did not matter if I came home at 6 pm or 4 am... there was Taffy, laying in the yard next to where I park my car, with her nose between her pas... just waiting.

She got loose one day and was hit by a bus of all things. It broke my heart, but she was really hurt and in an enormous amount of pain... she looked at me with those big liquid gold eyes and I knew we had to let her go.

and she was a Very Good Girl. I have a Taffy-sized hole in my heart forever.

Jen
08-06-2008, 03:39 PM
Great tributes Michele and Rae.

I moved the thread, as Michele requested, to Always in our Hearts.

Now I need to go get a tissue....

Otto'sMom
08-06-2008, 04:56 PM
That's beautiful. I didn't know you had a Buddy head dog Michele:hearts: I grew up with a dog, he was a toy poodle terrier mix named Killer, because he wasn't supposed to get big. Killer was made of AWESOME. We got him when I was 1 and as we grew up together, he'd pull me around the yard playing tug of war. When we lived on the farm, he was my constant companion, and most photos of me are with him, my favorite one being me sitting in an easter dress with the basket and Killer next to me.
He was always there and it seemed like he'd never die, but when I turned 17, he'd become senile and had serious anal fistulas and was miserable. My Mom made the decision to have him put down. I didn't go with my Mom to the vet, I didn't want to, being an ******* teen, and I regret it to this day. I'd sat in the doorway with him the night before he was put to sleep holding him in the dark for hours, saying my goodbyes. He really was the best dog, and I know I took him for granted.

ebmw1975
08-06-2008, 10:39 PM
Yall have had me in tears, esp you Michele.

We always have had dogs growing up.
We first had KC ( stood for Kat Catcher, hey I was 4-5) and he was a terrier mix, him and our cat Jellybean were the best of friends but when he was little he was scared to death of her LOL.KC moved with us 2 times and was there for me thru elementary and part of junior high. He ended up with a heart murmer and epalepsy and we were on a really tight budget so my sis and I said we would forgo our allowances to pay for the vet and his meds, mom agreed. Thankfully the night before I sat with him and talked to him and told him I loved him and that dad was taking him to the vet to help make him better. Sadly my dad( the jerk) instead took the money we had saved and spent it and shot KC in our backyard. He had already buried him and tried to tell us he had got loose and was hit by a car. My mom didnt belive him and got the truth out, I have never forgiven my dad for that ( as well as many other things). I loved KC he was my best friend growing up s I was always picked on for being big and tall and he just loved me.

I will tell yall aout my Daisy in another post.

JanUet
08-06-2008, 10:52 PM
Still waiting for the :tissue: Alert! :toetap:

What a wonderful and heart tugging story Mitch-elly :hearts:

All of the stories were!

It is so nice to look back into our pasts, just to remember the pets that we had and how great they were.

:thankyou: ALL for sharing your stories :hug99: :hug99: