Author: Sam

Shortcake

Found January 2005 Died February 19, 2010

I had to go to the store one very cold day in January, 2005 to pick up something, little did I know I would bring something home that would touch my life as deeply as almost anything else ever has. I would have like to have found you when you were a puppy so I could have had many more years with you. The vet guessed that you were about 7 when I found you. I don’t know about those first years of your life but I know the last 5 you were loved and well taken care of.

For some reason, known only to God, I went a different route than I normally take to this store which I visit at least weekly. I was thirsty so I decided to stop at a Circle K and get a Pepsi. I pulled into the parking lot and as I started to get out I glanced over and saw a black streak run behind my car in my mirror. I jumped out and looked behind the car parked next to me which was getting ready to back out and saw you lying there. I scared that poor woman to death jumping on her car to prevent her from running over you. I ran inside, grabbed a hot dog and ran back out telling the lady behind the counter I would pay her in a minute and coaxed you up onto the sidewalk. I tried to pick you up and you welcomed my hospitality by biting me, but I was not about to let you run away and possibly be killed in the streets. I had someone else feed you another hot dog and took off my heavy coat and snuck up behind you while you were eating and threw it over you.
I brought you home and put you in the basement and tried to find your owner, no one responded to my inquiries so you were taken to the vet, and you were mine. You took to me pretty quick after I showed you that you were welcome here and you would be taken care of.

I think you enjoyed your just over 5 years with us here, you loved to romp in the back yard and chase the squirrels. I loved the little game you would play with me when I would lay in the floor and blow on your ears, you would snuggle up on my neck. You liked to play with your adopted brothers and sisters. You would always literally shake the stuffing out of that duck that you played with and I put it between your paws when I buried you.

I wish your stay could have been much longer or I could have found you as a puppy but the time here has a place in my heart that will never be filled by another. Unfortunately I saved another dog from the local animal shelter and she brought with her a nasty case of kennel cough. The kennel cough itself was not what took you from me but it brought to the front the fact that you had other medical issues that were not as easy to fix as kennel cough. You ran out of strength and could not even bark any longer without it sending you into a nasty coughing fit. Your little heart, little only in size, could not function well with the reduced amount of oxygen you were getting. I have seen another dog suffer through that and vowed I would never let another do the same, so I told the vet to end your suffering and with tears streaming down my face I held you as you went to the bridge. You even looked at me as we were waiting as if to say help me and then you kissed me goodbye. Shortcake, you were a blessing sent to me from God and I will miss your barking at everything that goes by the house. Thank you for loving me and know that I loved you very much, I hope that there are dogs in heaven because on this earth other than God’s love there
is no love more pure than
the love of a dog.

Good bye my dear friend and I will never
forget or stop loving you.

Sam

 

My Dear Peanut

You had been with us for so long it and yet it seems like only yesterday when I picked you up for the very first time. You were such a tiny little girl but so sweet. It wasn’t long after you came to live with us that we noticed your tail didn’t look quite right and we had to make a trip to the vet to see what was wrong. We discovered that somehow your little tail had been broken, probably when you were born, and appeared to be causing you pain so it was arranged and you became a bob tailed puppy. Actually that little nub was so cute when you wagged it. You grew to be a very beautiful girl and even with that nubby tail, I think you were one of the prettiest dachshunds I have ever seen. You were also the sweetest; you never chewed on anything, quickly learned to go outside and made friends with the other dogs that were brought into your home.

I think and hope that you knew how much we loved you as we watched you grow up with your older sister Daisy II and brother Redneck. For awhile it was just you three and then the family grew because we found other puppies that were not as lucky as you to have found a good home right after you were born.

You were such a little character with some of the things you did. You sure made it difficult to go to the bathroom, standing there you would come into the bathroom, walk up next to me and roll over on your back expecting a belly rub, well you would get it, even if it was my foot rubbing your belly.

You would never really play with very many toys either, but you did have your favorite play things. Dirty sox, never could figure that one out but you would always take a dirty pair of sox once they had been taken off and run and hide them somewhere. Even last night after you left us, a pair of sox, that had been buried in the couch were found, no telling how long they had been there.

I know we did everything we could to make you happy and keep you well. You of all the dachshunds, the smallest and lightest had to be the first to hurt your back and cause me a great deal of work. I built ramps to everything in the house that you liked to lay on so you would not hurt your back again. The work was all done with love because I loved you so and didn’t want to lose you. I even got you a little wheel chair until your back regained strength and you could walk on your own again.

You got stronger and became your old self again, running and playing like you had never been hurt. I think you were a little miracle dog after that. But age has a way of not letting things last forever. We just found out that your kidneys have shut down. My precious little peanut butter, I don’t know what to do, I have been searching the internet all morning looking for answers but none of them offer any real hope of saving you. I can’t let you suffer, I love you too much to have you hurting but again, I don’t see anything that says you will be hurting but the poisons in your blood will make you sick, I dreaded the trip to the vet, it seems like it was just a few days ago I had to make that trip with your big brother, Redneck.

Peanut, just like Daisy, you were special right up to the very end, I think you realized how much it would hurt to have to make the trip to the vet so after letting me sit and hold you for a little while last night, you walked over to your bed, laid down, took a big sigh and went to the Bridge.

I can’t tell you how much I will miss you because there are no words that can describe the pain that losing you has brought, you have been such a little joy and a precious little angel. You and Redneck were a special pair of dogs, I don’t think either of you would even hurt a bug. My little Peanut, I truly hope that GOD has a place in heaven for the animals because next to His love, the only true love that I have ever encountered on earth is the love of a dog, you were always waiting when I got home and not seeing your face in that window when I pull up will always
make coming home a little sadder.

Now you and Redneck and Daisy can run and play together again at the Rainbow Bridge, take care of each other and one day I hope to see you in heaven for if there has ever been a dog on this earth that deserved it; you truly should be there.

I love you my little Butter Butter and I will miss you.

 

Redneck came to be with us in January of 1996. He was such a tiny little boy that he fit into the palm of your hand. His parents were also very small mini doxies. Who would have ever guessed that the little fella who cried all the way home from near Mt. Sterling, Kentucky would grow up to be a 30 pound miniature dachshund and no Redneck was not really fat, he was very stocky and as long as a standard dachshund.

He almost never got to grow up at all because one time when he was just a wee little boy I left the house to go somewhere and upon my return I found that Redneck had a taste for Sonic the Hedgehog, he had eaten my Sega system or a great deal of it. Chewed up a controller, chewed on the main box, he was hungry I guess. But looking into those sweet puppy eyes I couldn’t even really be mad at him.

Redneck had one of the most beautiful coats I have ever seen on a dachshund. His coloring was almost the red of an Irish Setter, he had a beautiful smooth coat.

He was a sweet boy as he grew up and learned to swim in the pool you see behind him in the picture.
I had built a ramp over one of the ladders so that the dogs could go swimming if they wanted. Redneck is leaving behind a broken hearted mom and dad and four doggie brothers and sisters, Peanut and Shortcake are also Dachshunds and Chalupa and Taco are Chihuahuas. I know Taco will miss him the most of the doggies because Redneck and him became fast buddies when Taco was rescued from the mean streets. They slept together in a dog bed barely big enough for Redneck but they both somehow managed to fit in there and neither one seemed to mind.

Redneck loved to play ball, he would chase a ball until your arm was so tired you couldn’t throw it any longer and then he would look at you like “What’s a matter, Throw My Ball”.

Unfortunately as they all do, and far too quickly, Redneck grew old and tired. Even though I have built ramps to everything in the house to prevent them from jumping his poor back finally gave out leaving him in paralyzed from the middle of his body back to his tail. This could have led to serious complications, severe pain and suffering and with him having no quality of life. I could not allow this to happen to one who had been so sweet and given
such happiness to us.

So with a very heavy heart and tears streaming down my face I had to let the suffering stop. Redneck went to the Rainbow Bridge on May 9, 2009. Now he can run and play with his older sister Daisy II, who preceded him to the Bridge. I know there is a heaven and I pray that dogs are there because without a doubt other than the love of GOD, there is no purer love in this world than the love of a dog.

Thanks for all the happy times Redneck and I will see you again someday boy.