This is a hard post to write.....we had to say goodbye to our dog on July 24--a week ago. (He is the one that is pictured above on this blog.) So I wanted to take the time to remember some of the highlights of our life with our faithful companion....
We found Blitzen at one of those mall puppy places way back in 2000. Eric and I just got married and we were looking for a dog since both of us never had one before. We researched the different breeds and were looking for a small dog who was good with kids and who was smart. It was down to a Pomeranian or a Sheltie. So we looked at the ads in the papers, checked out some homes, and then tried out a few of those pet stores. Finally, we found a little Sheltie at the mall of all places. We spent some time with him and we seemed to bond right away. We put him on hold since we were told we had to wait a few days, and then returned to pick him up.
When we returned a few days later to the mall though, we found him with another family in a room. We hurriedly spoke to the employees and told them that this was our dog and we placed him on hold. We were so upset that someone else was with our dog. The employees thankfully rushed into action and got our dog back and brought him to us. We quickly paid for him and were never more relieved to bring him home with us.
In his prime, he loved to chase objects. We would throw a tennis ball or hit a baseball way out in the outfield and he would just run it down and retrieve it only to do it again and again! Blitzen even learned to chase and catch a Frisbee in the air which was pretty incredible to watch. But the dog toy that he seemed to enjoy most was what we called, "ropie." It was a rope with a rubber thing on it that we threw and he would run after it and bring it back to us. But what Blitzen enjoyed it most for was "Tug of War" with Eric. Eric and him would each grab a side and they would tug and pull a bit until one of them gave up. Blitzen would act all tough during this game and growl and bark but it was just a big show to throw Eric off his game and make him lessen his grip. It was so enjoyable to watch them play like that!
Blitzen was so good with other animals. Part of the reason is that he spent a year with Blitzen, our cat (who passed away from Leukemia). They would just hang out together and enjoy each other's company. It was from our cat that Blitzen learned how to go to the bathroom and he continued to squat to relieve himself rather than to lift his leg.
I wanted Blitzen to chase away the bunnies in our yard because I had a garden and those bunnies seemed to find a way to nibble a bit too much and destroy some of my flowers. We would tell him to "chase the rabbits Blitzen" and he would just tear off our front porch barking and looking all tough. This alone scared the rabbits out of our yard. There was a time, though, that he actually "caught" one. We saw him running after something in the yard and when we checked it out, we saw him giving chase to a baby bunny. This went on for some time and all of a sudden, the bunny just stopped because it was just so tired. It's little heart was just racing and going up and down so fast. What happened next was just so amazing. Blitzen just laid down next to the bunny so that he was right next to the little thing and he just watched it. After some time, both the bunny and us realized that Blitzen was not going to hurt that cute little thing. They just sat there in the shade for a while until the bunny got its energy back and just hopped away. We saw right then that our dog was the sweetest protector around!
It seems as if stuffed animals were another story. He took over our cat's toy, a catnip crab, very early on. We saw that he liked it and would throw it in the house and we would tell him to "Go get crabbie" and he would just run after that small thing and bring it back to us. We still have that crabbie and a few legs are missing along with an eye! There was also a Christmas goose that Blitzen had an issue with. It was a big stuffed goose that I would put out at Christmas because it was created with a Christmas pattern. Well, I do not know if it was the size of the thing or the pattern or what, but Blitzen would grab that thing by the body or the neck and bring it to us. It was the funniest thing to witness!
Blitzen was a very smart dog and knew how to twirl and shake paws along with the usual sitting and laying down. Our daughter even taught him to get up to the kitchen table by standing on his back paws. He loved this trick because someone would always give him some of their meal. As he got older, though, he gave up jumping and just sat near us and gave us those adorable eyes and got the same result--some scraps from the table.
Our son (10 years old) had his own way of bonding with our dog. He and Blitzen would share some sloppy kisses on the couch while watching some TV for the night. Daniel even tried to coax Blitzen up to his room with treats and then when Blitzen was in his room, he would close the door so Daniel could have him to himself. But I would notice that our dog was not around so I would go up to our son's room and "rescue" our poor dog.
I mostly enjoyed Blitzen's sweet loving nature. He was so tolerant of our kids and let them tug on his fur and dress him up in play clothes. He would just sit there and was probably wondering what he would have to do next....
Every night, Blitzen wanted us to take him downstairs so that he could be with the family while we watched some television.... He seemed to have an internal clock though because when 9:00 rolled around, he would start to get anxious. He would get up, look at Eric and start to walk over him. (He was telling him to feed him and to let him out for the night.)
When it was time for us to go to sleep, he wanted to be put on our bed so that he could curl up and cuddle next to my feet. This was a special time that I could pet him and hug him and show him how much I loved him. Now that I look back, he seemed to have wanted to sleep a bit more during the morning, the days, and the night too. (Early signs of aging that I just wanted to ignore.)
Blitzen was most loyal to dad, though. In his younger years, he would wait at the back door until my husband would come home from work. Then, they would greet each other and enjoy some bonding moments together. At nights, both dog and man found it enjoyable to "play wrestle."
As he grew older, Blizen still enjoyed his walks. No longer was he pulling on the leash though, but he still wanted to be outside to check everything out. He also loved to ride in the car. He would sit up and just watch as all the scenery would pass us by.
Blizen has been there for us always. He was there through 4 moves. He was so tolerant and loving to our 2 kids. And he was there for us along with various life events.
The last day of his life, he suddenly started having seizures. After the first one, he was so restless and could not relax. He started stumbling and I knew something was wrong. We took him to the vet and they confirmed that he did have a seizure. They felt a heart murmur too that she never felt before. The veterinarian suggested an Animal Emergancy Center because they could monitor Blitzen better and could possibly help with the seizures. We wanted to give our dog a chance so we took him there Thursday evening. At the Center, we were informed that things did not look good and that Blitzen was continuing to have the seizures. They could try to give him 2 types of treatments to see if that would stop the seizures, but they were not that hopeful. We decided to keep him at the Center overnight so that they could monitor him and try the treatments.
We visited him the next morning and he was a little alert but still on the medicine and not moving at all. We were told that Blitzen was not responding to the treatment and that we would have to think about letting him go. This was so hard to hear and we went home to process everything that was going on. Well, the vet called again a few hours later and said that nothing had changed and suggested Eueuthanasia sooner rather than later. This was the worst news. We finally decided that we did not want to see Blitzen suffer like this and that he would not be getting rid of these terrible seizures so we agreed that this would be best but we wanted to be there for his final moments of life. We all met at the Emergency Clinic and spent some last moments with our dog. We spoke to him, we gave him some love, and we told him that we loved him so much. Blitzen only looked up when Daniel spoke to him but I know he heard us all. We called the doctor back in and she administered the fatal dose that would stop Blitzen's heart from beating further. We stayed with our dog for some more agonizing moments afterwards to be with him. But after a while, we knew we had to go and collect his things and then leave without our sweet dog.
I wanted to find the perfect kit to scrap our beloved dog and to pay tribute to him.... I wanted the kit to be a bit grungy and I wanted it to have some angels in it because I hope that our dog is now being looked after by angels now...
I found a romantic, vintage themed kit for scrapping timeless memories.
Credits: Vintage
Rose, Marniejo’s House of Scraps
Font Used: Love & Trust
Credits: Vintage Rose, Marniejo’s House of Scraps
Available At:
http://marniejoshouseofscraps.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=67&products_id=249
My Memories Store:
https://www.mymemories.com/store/display_product_page?id=MJHS-CP-1409-68758
Ivy Scraps Store:
http://www.ivyscraps.com/store2/marniejos-house-of-scraps-c-251_306/vintage-rose-p-4000.html
Dzines from the Heart store:
http://dzinesfromtheheart.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_164&products_id=4199
We will always love and remember you Blitzen, our faithful companion....
We found Blitzen at one of those mall puppy places way back in 2000. Eric and I just got married and we were looking for a dog since both of us never had one before. We researched the different breeds and were looking for a small dog who was good with kids and who was smart. It was down to a Pomeranian or a Sheltie. So we looked at the ads in the papers, checked out some homes, and then tried out a few of those pet stores. Finally, we found a little Sheltie at the mall of all places. We spent some time with him and we seemed to bond right away. We put him on hold since we were told we had to wait a few days, and then returned to pick him up.
When we returned a few days later to the mall though, we found him with another family in a room. We hurriedly spoke to the employees and told them that this was our dog and we placed him on hold. We were so upset that someone else was with our dog. The employees thankfully rushed into action and got our dog back and brought him to us. We quickly paid for him and were never more relieved to bring him home with us.
In his prime, he loved to chase objects. We would throw a tennis ball or hit a baseball way out in the outfield and he would just run it down and retrieve it only to do it again and again! Blitzen even learned to chase and catch a Frisbee in the air which was pretty incredible to watch. But the dog toy that he seemed to enjoy most was what we called, "ropie." It was a rope with a rubber thing on it that we threw and he would run after it and bring it back to us. But what Blitzen enjoyed it most for was "Tug of War" with Eric. Eric and him would each grab a side and they would tug and pull a bit until one of them gave up. Blitzen would act all tough during this game and growl and bark but it was just a big show to throw Eric off his game and make him lessen his grip. It was so enjoyable to watch them play like that!
Blitzen was so good with other animals. Part of the reason is that he spent a year with Blitzen, our cat (who passed away from Leukemia). They would just hang out together and enjoy each other's company. It was from our cat that Blitzen learned how to go to the bathroom and he continued to squat to relieve himself rather than to lift his leg.
I wanted Blitzen to chase away the bunnies in our yard because I had a garden and those bunnies seemed to find a way to nibble a bit too much and destroy some of my flowers. We would tell him to "chase the rabbits Blitzen" and he would just tear off our front porch barking and looking all tough. This alone scared the rabbits out of our yard. There was a time, though, that he actually "caught" one. We saw him running after something in the yard and when we checked it out, we saw him giving chase to a baby bunny. This went on for some time and all of a sudden, the bunny just stopped because it was just so tired. It's little heart was just racing and going up and down so fast. What happened next was just so amazing. Blitzen just laid down next to the bunny so that he was right next to the little thing and he just watched it. After some time, both the bunny and us realized that Blitzen was not going to hurt that cute little thing. They just sat there in the shade for a while until the bunny got its energy back and just hopped away. We saw right then that our dog was the sweetest protector around!
It seems as if stuffed animals were another story. He took over our cat's toy, a catnip crab, very early on. We saw that he liked it and would throw it in the house and we would tell him to "Go get crabbie" and he would just run after that small thing and bring it back to us. We still have that crabbie and a few legs are missing along with an eye! There was also a Christmas goose that Blitzen had an issue with. It was a big stuffed goose that I would put out at Christmas because it was created with a Christmas pattern. Well, I do not know if it was the size of the thing or the pattern or what, but Blitzen would grab that thing by the body or the neck and bring it to us. It was the funniest thing to witness!
Our son (10 years old) had his own way of bonding with our dog. He and Blitzen would share some sloppy kisses on the couch while watching some TV for the night. Daniel even tried to coax Blitzen up to his room with treats and then when Blitzen was in his room, he would close the door so Daniel could have him to himself. But I would notice that our dog was not around so I would go up to our son's room and "rescue" our poor dog.
I mostly enjoyed Blitzen's sweet loving nature. He was so tolerant of our kids and let them tug on his fur and dress him up in play clothes. He would just sit there and was probably wondering what he would have to do next....
Every night, Blitzen wanted us to take him downstairs so that he could be with the family while we watched some television.... He seemed to have an internal clock though because when 9:00 rolled around, he would start to get anxious. He would get up, look at Eric and start to walk over him. (He was telling him to feed him and to let him out for the night.)
When it was time for us to go to sleep, he wanted to be put on our bed so that he could curl up and cuddle next to my feet. This was a special time that I could pet him and hug him and show him how much I loved him. Now that I look back, he seemed to have wanted to sleep a bit more during the morning, the days, and the night too. (Early signs of aging that I just wanted to ignore.)
Blitzen was most loyal to dad, though. In his younger years, he would wait at the back door until my husband would come home from work. Then, they would greet each other and enjoy some bonding moments together. At nights, both dog and man found it enjoyable to "play wrestle."
As he grew older, Blizen still enjoyed his walks. No longer was he pulling on the leash though, but he still wanted to be outside to check everything out. He also loved to ride in the car. He would sit up and just watch as all the scenery would pass us by.
Blizen has been there for us always. He was there through 4 moves. He was so tolerant and loving to our 2 kids. And he was there for us along with various life events.
The last day of his life, he suddenly started having seizures. After the first one, he was so restless and could not relax. He started stumbling and I knew something was wrong. We took him to the vet and they confirmed that he did have a seizure. They felt a heart murmur too that she never felt before. The veterinarian suggested an Animal Emergancy Center because they could monitor Blitzen better and could possibly help with the seizures. We wanted to give our dog a chance so we took him there Thursday evening. At the Center, we were informed that things did not look good and that Blitzen was continuing to have the seizures. They could try to give him 2 types of treatments to see if that would stop the seizures, but they were not that hopeful. We decided to keep him at the Center overnight so that they could monitor him and try the treatments.
We visited him the next morning and he was a little alert but still on the medicine and not moving at all. We were told that Blitzen was not responding to the treatment and that we would have to think about letting him go. This was so hard to hear and we went home to process everything that was going on. Well, the vet called again a few hours later and said that nothing had changed and suggested Eueuthanasia sooner rather than later. This was the worst news. We finally decided that we did not want to see Blitzen suffer like this and that he would not be getting rid of these terrible seizures so we agreed that this would be best but we wanted to be there for his final moments of life. We all met at the Emergency Clinic and spent some last moments with our dog. We spoke to him, we gave him some love, and we told him that we loved him so much. Blitzen only looked up when Daniel spoke to him but I know he heard us all. We called the doctor back in and she administered the fatal dose that would stop Blitzen's heart from beating further. We stayed with our dog for some more agonizing moments afterwards to be with him. But after a while, we knew we had to go and collect his things and then leave without our sweet dog.
I wanted to find the perfect kit to scrap our beloved dog and to pay tribute to him.... I wanted the kit to be a bit grungy and I wanted it to have some angels in it because I hope that our dog is now being looked after by angels now...
I found a romantic, vintage themed kit for scrapping timeless memories.
Gone….But Not Forgotten
Font Used: Love & Trust
Always in our Hearts…Blitzen
Credits: Vintage Rose, Marniejo’s House of Scraps
Journaling - This poem gave me at least some comfort during this difficult time...
The
Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place
called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies
that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all
of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm
and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health
and vigour; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again,
just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm
and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health
and vigour; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again,
just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content,
except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them,
who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but
the day comes when one suddenly stops and
looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers.
Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs
carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your
special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.
looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers.
Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs
carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your
special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.
The happy kisses rain upon your
face; your hands again caress the beloved head,
and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your
life but never absent from your heart.
and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your
life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge
together
– Unknown
http://marniejoshouseofscraps.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=67&products_id=249
My Memories Store:
https://www.mymemories.com/store/display_product_page?id=MJHS-CP-1409-68758
Ivy Scraps Store:
http://www.ivyscraps.com/store2/marniejos-house-of-scraps-c-251_306/vintage-rose-p-4000.html
Dzines from the Heart store:
http://dzinesfromtheheart.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_164&products_id=4199
We will always love and remember you Blitzen, our faithful companion....
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