Disclaimer: I wrote this post back in in February before our boy passed away. Today would have been his 11th birthday. Ironically he hated fire works. This year I wanted to post my memories as a tribute post for him. When I was editing this so that I could put it up on the blog…I cried.
Our boy is a 10 year old rat terrier who has been pretty sick over the last month or so. He was diagnosed with renal failure, and a hernia. He’s been going down fast and it’s incredibly sad to watch. But let’s remember the good times and not the bad. His journey with us started when we recused him from a puppy mill when he was 6 months old. He was about 6 lbs or so and very skittish. Soon many of his spunky traits came out though. As it would turn out he loved, loved, loved to pop bubbles. He could have bubbles blown for him for hours and never get tired of it. He would run and jump all around to pop them with his teeth. He also knew how to shake paws! If you tapped him on the chest, or sometimes just even walked over to him, his little paw was up and ready to say nice to meet you! Since he was an expert bubble popper he could pretty much catch anything thrown in the air, including treats! You could throw one up, and he’d hop completely off the ground and catch it in his mouth. (I’m talking small treats too, like the Hollywood ones that look like they are in a milk carton). After my daughter was walking pretty steady on her feet, we discovered that he loved to dance as well. He can stand on his back feet for an unusually long time for a dog. She’ll hold his front paws and they would dance all around the yard! He’s an expert listener as well (no not with commands and stuff) but he could read emotions like a champ, and loved to listen to my problems. I remember going outside when I was younger, before my daughter was born and he would listen to me talk. One of the hardest times was when I sat out on the back porch, crying as I had just gone through a hard breakup. He stood on his back legs with his paws up on me for a very long time. I cry as I write this post, because I know we are going to loose him soon.
One memory that is funny to look back on is just how much of a chewer he really was! Some of the most notable things he took down with his teeth were every blanket and bed he had as a pup, an entire brand new volleyball net, and some good attempts at a pool! Of course shoes were a given.
Fun things our boy does:
- Dance with my daughter
- Pop bubbles
- Catch treats in mid air
- Shake paws
Originally written February 10, 2019