Tara came to us as a
little black ball of fur.
Even at 6 weeks of age she had a mind
of her own.
All of the previous labs that I had were mellow and easy going, but Tara was different. She was a loving girl but as a puppy and into adulthood she was quite active. The other lab and ACD dogs that I had were older than her and often I could see it in their eyes asking “Mom why did you have to get her?” She constantly picked on them and tugged on their ears and tails.
Tara became my constant companion and as the other girls, Casey and Nikki got older and were happy to just sleep on the porch, Tara and I went every where together.
When she was just two months old she tried to swim across Bass Lake in California. It was Christmas time and the water was cold. She plunged in after some ducks much to my horror. I thought for sure she would drown but being a labrador she did just fine.
Through the years Tara went to a lot of places with us. She had fun swimming after otters in Carmel Beach, California. Went camping in the high sierra and followed us on hiking trips. How I miss those beautiful brown eyes asking where will we go next.
Tara’s health began to fade around 12 years old. She had arthritis and was on thyroid medication. She still tried to keep up with me and the other younger dogs. I tried to take her with me when I went for walks but she just couldn’t keep up any longer. The last year of he life was spent doing just short walks but she thought that was great and was a happy dog. She still tried to fetch her ball and was still the alpha dog. Even the young Queensland didn’t get in her way. Tara still had a mind of her own and was the boss.
She had to have her spot in the livingroom at night in front of my chair so she could keep an eye on me. She never let me out of her sight.
The last night she was with us I though she was sleeping but unknown to me she had had a stroke. I knew something was terribly wrong but since it was 11:00 pm no vet was to be found. I spent the night on the floor petting her and talking to her. The next morning we rushed her to the vet. He kept her for three days trying to save her. On Monday morning the 16th of January, 2006 we had to make that awful decision to let her go. I spent an hour with her saying good-bye and holding her. Her beautiful eyes told me it was alright. She was ready to go to the Bridge. We put her into our car so she could smell the outdoors one more time. Her passing came gently in my husbands arms. We brought Tara home and buried her next to our other girls, Casey, Bobbi, Nikki, and Molly and Misty.
We had Tara for fourteen wonderful years. My heart is still breaking. I miss her so much. Maybe someday I will get another Lab, but there will never be another Tara. I miss you my sweet girl. You will always be in my heart.
Our Love Forever,
| Tara |
| 16, Jan 2006 |
| Shirley & Gary Williams |