My Mom called with some sad news today...
When we were little my Dad repetedly told us we could absolutly not get a dog. My Mom and all 5 children's vote for one, out weighed my Dads vote against one and so....we got him a Dog for his brithday! That was a long long long time ago. Skooby was his name (grubs,scrubs, goobers and skoob were just a few of his nicknames). I LOVE this dog. I can recall the day we went to the pound to get him. We walked up and down the kenels hoping for a dog to "just feel right" and one did! The workers told us not to reach through the fence or to pet the dogs at all but my Mom reached right through to Skooby where she recieved licks and licks of love and I hoped that he would be the new addition to our family! And he was. My Dad wasnt happy with us at all but he fell in love with him almost as quickly as we did and he soon became my Dads buddy! I like to think that this is how my husband will feel when we some day get a dog. He has some negative thoughts about what having a dog is like. But I believe if you train them right they can truely be mans best friend.
I showed Skooby in 4-H for a couple of years which he LOVED! My mom made a bag that I would carry his leashes and treats in when I would take him to "class" once a week. He quickly learned where we were going when I had this bag in hand and even started carying it around by himself hoping to go more often. He would ride in the truck, proud as any dog could be as we drove to class, and then once we were there he would prance up and down the isles as we showed. He was perfect! My instructor often used Skooby as the good example in class. I honestly think he was sad when we stopped going.
He was our buddy, like another brother to us. He went everywhere with us. Even when we would go up to the mountains in the deep, freezing snow we would put his coat on and he would trudge through right along with us. He went camping, hiking, sleding, to outdoor church activities to celebrations. Everywhere.
Well he is gone now. He was getting pretty old. Recently my Mom said that he stopped eating, drinking and even walking. She said he slept all day long and sometimes had little seizures. It had gotten so bad that my Mom finally had to get him put down. I think she is having a really hard time with it especially since she is home ridden for the most part since her back surgery and Skooby was by her side constantly. When she got home from the vet she found a tennis ball and pushed it to the side with her foot and said she thought she heard Skooby run after it. It will be weird going home to visit and not have Grub run up and greet us. But I'm sure he is happier and healthier now where he is and probably enjoying some catch up time with his buddie Chewbaka who passed away a year or so ago, his other buddy frisky who chased him all around the house years ago and my Mom's horse who she passed down to me who passed away after having a stroke.
I hope that some day my children can grow up and share a bond with a pup such as Skooby. A friend that never judges you, you never fight with, will never leave you. But will stand by your side through thick and thin and greet you at the door with his tail wagging, ready to brighten your day from whatever things have gone wrong.
I'll miss you Skooby, and I love you!
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