Goodbye Tubbs :(

I don't know what to write--there is so much to say, but I miss my Tubbie-bear so much, it's actually a little hard to breathe right now. I just need a way to tell people that he's gone--so here it is. I was still so tired after my weekend in Houston that I decided not to go for a run and to sleep in a little later, so Taylor left quietly for work....and I woke up to Gamer barking as usual :) But then I noticed Tubbie's ever-present panting/breathing was slower than normal. I got out of bed and lay down next to him, just talking to him and petting him. Something wasn't right... and within a few minutes, he started to have a seizure, so I held him in my arms, telling him over and over that I loved him, and that God couldn't ask for a better buddy to sit next to him in Heaven... and then he took one last breath and never took another...

We prayed he would go in his sleep so we wouldn't have to make the decision for him...and we are so grateful that he went peacefully. Taylor came home from work--I still don't know how he got home so fast, but he did. And our boy is now at the vet--he's being cremated today, and I'll get his ashes on Wednesday, so he can be with me all the time, where he belongs.

We are heartbroken and trying to distract ourselves--but I can't think straight and feel like I can't cry anymore... Taylor made me a list of things to do to distract myself, and then we're going out to a steak dinner to celebrate Tubbie's life. At this point, I've crossed one thing off and am actually dreading having to walk across the house to go take a shower-- Tubbie would always bark to come with me and camp out on the bathroom floor until my shower was over. It's kind of comforting just sitting here at the computer becuase he would have been happiest here at my feet, sleeping quietly...the second I get up, the silence will become so obvious and I'll be reminded that he's really gone. Life goes on, I know-- but to be honest, this just sucks right now. I want him back :(

He was the greatest dog--the best friend and my constant shadow. I know it will get better with time, but for now, I am lost without him. Sorry for this rambling post- I just don't know how to announce this kind of thing, and I know if I tried to do it in person or over the phone, I would fall apart again.

Please pray for our Tubbie--and if you have lost a loved one, maybe say a prayer that when they see a big yellow labbie boy come up to Heaven, they make some room for him by their feet, and give him extra hugs for his Mom and Dad. I can already picture him up there with my grandpa and Taylor's grandpa--He said his "Boss" would have loved Tubbs, so they are hopefully hanging out together now :)

We love you so much, Tubbie--rest in peace, sweet boy.

He's Back!

We are so happy to have our big guy back, I think we'd let him get away with anything ;)

Dogs, dogs, dogs!

My old man has had a rough month, and this week was the worst... He couldn't walk on Monday, and I thought it was the end (Taylor has gotten a few of these calls at work in the past month--me in tears, thinking Tubbie is dying...and he would talk me out of it and bring a smile back to my face), but he has once again rallied and is back to being his sweet old self! His kidney/liver numbers are out of the normal range due to an infection we are now treating--which has caused him to become severely anemic--and THAT'S why he couldn't walk--because he was really weak, not because his legs had given out. I LOVE big dogs--but when they can't walk--getting them from the house to the vet is a BIT of a challenge. Looking back, it is actually kind of funny (NOT at the time though!)-- I had him on a blanket, sliding him to the door, while he did everything he could to make this impossible (i.e. gripping his nails into the floor as I dragged him)... Then I tied a sweatshirt around his tummy to help him walk-- which would have worked, but my brave boy decided he didn't want go out the front door that day. He turned his head away from the door and immediately became 90 lbs of dead weight. But somehow, in the end, I heaved him into the back of my car with superhuman strength ;) and have scratches and bruises to prove it! (Next time, I'll ask my neighbors for help...) Anyway, my big guy is doing ok now. We are treating the kidney issues and the anemia, and he is already doing better and eating everything in site again. I don't like to talk about him aging...it's a little bit easier to do in writing...but honestly, I haven't really come to terms with it. I have only had him for 3 years, and I love him too much for that to be enough time. Last month, I cried a lot about this, and one night, after watching TV, I just lay on the carpet holding him and crying...Then Taylor came in and said "Court, you can't do this. You can't mourn him before he's gone. That's not fair to him. We have to enjoy every day we have with him and leave the mourning until he's no longer with us." This simple idea has made each day bearable for me, and I have completely changed my perspective. I truly believe my dogs can sense when I am worried, scared, sad, etc... and I only want my Tubbie to sense happy thoughts from me! I'm so happy to have him lying at my feet right now, and I am just taking this one day at a time. :) And as of now, it looks like we have more time with him! Nothing in his bloodwork is un-treatable, and there is no limit to what we would do for this guy. So we'll get him back to feeling 100%! I feel so lucky to still be able to find yellow and white hair on every piece of clothing I own or to slip on the water trail he has left from his bowl! I still have my Tubbie bear, and I am so HAPPY!

What happens when you have a senior lab and an overly anxious Mom?

A very full doggy medicine cabinet!

Here are our daily meds and vitamins for Tubbs and Gamer. So far, Mags and Pumpkin are ok with just food and water ;). Our new vet is very into holistic meds, in addition to classic medication, and even though it's ridiculous how many there are, all these vitamins seriously work miracles!

I sent Maggie and Pumpkin to the spa this week for a haircut.... living in Florida is just too hot for long coats! I took them to the doggy daycare that helps me with my rescue dogs, so they treated my girls like princesses! They got to stay in a "Luxury Apartment" with a view of the horse pastures while they waited, and the girls let me walk to the back and hang out for a while -- it was a very low stress grooming experience :) They are now naked and loving it! To be honest, Maggie kind of looks the same....but Pumpkin is so tiny!!!

While these girls were getting a spa treatment, poor Gamer had to have her teeth cleaned for the 4th time in her short life! She was born with less-than-perfect teeth... :) As much as she hated me leaving her at the vet (she yelped and cried as a walked away- it was awful), she did just fine! This is the first of all of her dental cleanings that didn't result in a follow up trip to the vet or emergency clinic, so we feel really lucky! :)

Here she is when I picked her up, looking a bit worn out, but all on one piece (and smiling)!

I can hardly stand how precious this girl is---sooo cute! Right? (On another note, a man at the vet said she was a "very cute little man"...so I corrected the nice man, who THEN said, wow, she's an old one though, huh? To which I replied, NO..she is only 5 years old...And he then went on to say how she LOOKS old and so much like a boy!!! Whatever...Taylor and I think she is the most beatiful creature in the world-- we just stare at her sometimes, discussing what it is that makes her just so gorgeous...that man didn't know what he was talking about. haha)
Soooo, we are looking forward to a much calmer week ahead...and I get to go to Houston for a wedding (and a girls weekend!) on Friday. The weather if gorgeous here, the dogs and I got to sleep in (Taylor had a game this morning)...and we are enjoying a nice, quiet day for the first time in a while! At least until I look at my list of errands to run and start painting! haha. No complaints....life is good :)

What We've Been Up To...

A couple pictures from my visit with Catie! (They are now really outdated, but soooo precious)

Maggie has developed a new fear of steam coming from pots in our kitchen (a while ago we burned something and the fire alarm went off...so she now associates anything that resembles smoke with that high pitched beeping! Poor thing :))...So one night while I was cooking, Taylor called me into the closet, where Maggie had buried herself into our pile of dry cleaning clothes!

We babysat Scooter, my neighbor's little guy, for about a week while they were in Costa Rica... Here he is helping me re-paint the yellow guest room (this yellow was a bit too bright ;)). I thought I had locked the dogs out of the room, but Scooter found a way in!

(EM! Do you recognize the mirror? I still love it :))

I hated leaving Scooter in his crate for too long, so he came with me and Gamer to one of Taylor's baseball games! He loved watching everything... Gamer had one of her panic attacks after a man started whistling really loudly, so we had to leave early. Scooter is very normal compared to our 4 little ones...it's nice to have him around! haha ;)

One night while we were watching TV, Tubbs decided he wanted to snuggle (he is NOT usually a snuggler)...so he wiggled (as much as a 100 lb lab can wiggle...) between the couch and ottoman and fell asleep like this-- with his head on our legs. It was so sweet :)

And here's what happens when we give our dogs chewy bones...Gamer does not share toys well. I re-distributed them after this picture though :)

Last week was completely crazy with our floor being tiled (we got rid of the carpet! :))... so we had to camp out in the guest room and office until we were allowed to walk on it! It was really fun, and so cozy :) We had our big TV in there, so we watched the whole first season of LOST, and we are now totally hooked on it. The dogs could have spread out into the office, but they decided to stay in there with us :)



And here's a typical morning in our bed...

1. Taylor sleeping peacefully with 2 of his girls...
2. Gamer hears me wake up so she tries to wake Taylor up with kisses...

3. And then she gets LOUD...and really mad if he is paying attention to another dog... and she continues to growl/talk until we are both out of bed!


Finally--here's a glimpse into an afternoon at our house. Each afternoon after work, I stand in the yard while the dogs play (it's the only way to keep them outside for an extended period of time :))...

First, Maggie and Pumpkin start playing really well together...they are best friends :)

Then, Gamer inevitably walks right into the middle of the 2 girls rolling on the ground...which leads to an awkward stand-off between Maggie and Gamer (we call this Gamer's "rattlesnake tail.") Although Gamer is serious here, Maggie is totally over it...

So, Pumpkin jumps in to break up the tension...

Maggie tries to play with Gamer for a second, then Gamer awkwardly tries to play back...and then gets mad when Maggie gets too close...

Meanwhile, Tubbs looks on, unphased by all the activity.

Next, the gate opens and Kathy lets Scooter in (if he hears our dogs playing, he starts to cry, so he has an open invitation into our yard anytime!) Notice how thrilled Gamer is to have the new visitor...

Maggie lets the two young dogs beat her up--she is so patient :)

Tubbs moves into the screened-in porch to cool off and then starts barking for his dinner... Maggie and Pumpkin play with Scooter for a few more minutes...
And Gamer is annoyed by it all... She really is a sweetheart--we just seem to capture all her little quirks on camera! ;)

P.S. COOPER HOWELL, I added lots of dog pictures just for you!!! :)