THE END OF A GREAT LIFE
I made this tribute for Tammy because she was such a good girl and a joy in my life. It’s sad when you loose a fried of so many years. I cannot remember when Tammy was a little pup, that was so long ago. She belonged to my youngest son. I had lost Pluto a few years before -after a 15 year friendship – but she was a family member and catered to all of us – I swore that I would never own a dog again. My son went to college and then off
on a mission for the LDS church.
Of course I kept Tammy and she became my very best friend. Through out her lifetime, we have walked at least one (1) mile per day for over 18 years. That is a lot of walking. We have been on many road trips, vacations, fishing and camping trips that we have enjoyed so much.
Tammy was always waiting for me, with her tail wagging, and that little bark. She loved to ride in the pickup and stick her head out the window, catching the air with her nose and her ears out stretched like a pair of airplane wings. Her joy was chasing fish along the shoreline when we went fishing, and acting as the hood ornament of the boat as she stood for all to see-just who was really running the boat. Tammy had abilities that I never saw in other dogs.
You could show her how do something one time, and she would do it the second time without any coaching. She knew exactly when her supper time was, and made sure I knew it also. She loved to chase our many cats that we had, but never hurt them at any time. Tammy never knew how to swim and it amazed me when she fell off the boat the first time and sank. I had to jump into the water to save her. She never did really learn what swimming was about. Her front legs would go 90 miles per hour, but she forgot to move the back legs. She always stayed pretty close to shore and did not try swimming at all.
Her ability to know when a storm was approaching was amazing. She would go outside and pace back and fourth for a long time. Up to 30 minutes would pass and then you would hear the thunder. Tammy was so scared of loud noises that she would tremble and shake so bad, she could not stand up. The bathtub, which she hated, was her friend during a thunderstorm or on the 4th of July. I had to take her to the Vet. for an X-Ray. (Fishhook caught her mouth). The Vet stated that she had the biggest hearing area he had ever seen in a dog. He then told me that loud noises have to really bother her. (We knew that.)
Later in Tammy’s life, she had an ear infection. About 3 months after that, she lost her hearing all together. Totally deaf. It bothered me, except she was no longer afraid of the loud noises that she heard. Two years ago, when we moved to the country, Tammy loved it. She had 1-¾ acres of land to run. She had a pole fence to keep her in, (she could have went through the fence anywhere, but for two years did not. She only left the yard if I had a leash on her. Otherwise the yard was her kingdom.
Last year I noticed a change in Tammy’s walking and running. She was limping a little and was slowing down. It was apparent that she was having hip problems. Our walk of 1 to 2 miles became shorter, and that 15-minute mile, now took us over an hour. This was just fine with me. It let me unwind from work and I loved walking with her anyhow. There was not a rose (sage brush) that was not smelled each and every day by Tammy.
It was her walk and I never tried to hurry her. We have walked in rain, sunshine, windstorms, winter blizzards, and anything else that Mother Nature tried to throw at us. Then right before Tammy’s death, she was unable to walk our mile route. She had become so lame in her back leg that she could only walk a few feet and then had to sit down. I tried to walk her around the home, and it got so she could not even do that.
The last time we walked together – we were in a terrible rain storm, I had to pick her up and carry her home. She put her nose inside of my jacket and acted like I could and would protect her from anything. She slept most of the time after that, I had to carry her in and out of the house to do her job and I had to feed her while she lay down. We had messes that we had to clean, but I did it with love.
From her chest to her head, she is the same old dog, except her eyes were clouding and her hearing was gone. But those big brown eyes still looked at you with love. The hardest thing I have ever had to do was to choose when the right time put her down. I keep thinking of the saying:
and my friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going, please see that my trusting life is taken gently, I shall leave this earth knowing with my last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your hands.
Remembering this, I choose to have the Vet. (Dr. Allen) come to the house and do what he had to do. He advised me that he would be there around 3:00 pm. I sat with Tammy from 9:00 am. until the Vet. Arrived at 3:00 pm. During that time, we talked, we cried and Tammy ate some cat treats, which she loved. I promised Tammy that I would continue walking each and every day. We could not be together physical but we would be together in spirit. We made peace with each other and then her life ended, one day before her birthday. (Born May 28, 1986 – Died May 27, 2003.) She went very peacefully, just like going to sleep.
I buried Tammy by a big pine tree, where she will be in the shade most of the day. She has two stone bears watching over her. I say good morning as I leave for work, and hello when I get home each day. Every night, I stroll out to her grave and say goodnight. I loved this little gal so very much and I always will.
God bless the animals of the world and
may their suffering be minimal.
Don't cry because it over - SMILE beca,
use it happened
| Tammy |
| 27, May 2003 |
| Larry Schwager |