| Eeyore |
 Eeyore came into our lives as fast as he left us. In the four short months that he roamed our home, Eeyore (named for the Winnie-the-Pooh character) changed our lives. His foster mom Yolanda asked me to come meet him before finalizing the adoption. I walked into her home and saw this pathetic and sad little dog lying on his bed. He barely raised his head for me, but I already knew that I was going to take him and love him.
The first week was tough. Eeyore had bad arthritis, and wouldn't eat or pee. He had a significant head tilt (we referred to him as "lopsided") and would often stumble. At his first vet visit with us, it was determined that he had arthritis, rotten teeth, vertigo, and bladder stones. After a good teeth cleaning and daily arthritis medicine, he was feeling much better. His new food was also helping his bladder stone problem. Once he started eating, we learned that he was the pickiest dog ever! He would only eat at certain times and in certain places of the house! Eeyore was definitely a large alpha male in his heyday (and the longest dachshund we had ever seen). He was a solid 25 lbs at 16 years old, and he looked skinny! He would walk up to the other animals in the house and push them around with his nose. He tried to chase the cats when he first moved in, but quickly realized that, at his age, he was out-matched. Eeyore may have been hard of both sight and hearing, but he still loved life. His favorite thing to do was to sit out in the front yard at dusk and roll in the grass. He loved ear scratches, playing in piles of blankets, and being held like a baby. He would lie next to my husband as he was studying (he was a first year law student, so this happened quite often). He was the slowest dog alive when on a leash, but take him off his leash and he hopped like a rabbit. This is one of our favorite things that he did, and he always looked back at you to see if you were following him. It was obvious to us that Eeyore never really knew how to be a dog and therefore, we never took the little things for granted with him. He wouldn't get into your lap or beg for attention. He wasn't full of energy or easy to care for, but he had the most beautiful expressive eyes that could tell you everything. He was grateful for a soft bed, ear scratches, and treats (which he always took so gently). He did lick both me and my husband, once each. He wagged his tail one time when we played tug of war, and always gave a little wag when I would take him out on cooler mornings. He wasn't the quintessential perfect dog, but he was the perfect dog to us. We lost Eeyore too soon. His last morning started with our usual routine. He had his morning walk, got a treat and an ear scratch and then settled back into his bed. Within an hour-and-half, he had a stroke. We looked into his eyes and knew that it was time to let him go. We knew going into his adoption that we would not have him for years and years, but we were hoping for more than four months. We look back on our experience as one of the best and most rewarding of our lives. We will rescue again in the future, for Eeyore and because of him. He was that amazing. |
| Emerson (Emmy) |
After a couple of years with no dog, I finally had my fill. We were getting a dog. Our daughter - just turned 6 at the time - wanted a dachshund because she knew one from the neighborhood. Yolanda graciously brought 3 to our house on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. One IMMEDIATELY took off after the cat, one hid under the couch and the third ran into the middle of the room, rolled onto his back and wiggled. He was ours. Emerson - Emmy as we called him - was then 10 or 11 according to the vet. My husband said he was 8 (wish it and it will be).
Emmy immediately settled into bed with Haley and that's where he slept every night. We would go in in the morning and he'd be on his back (often snoring) with her arm thrown over him. He was the best balanced most affectionate dog ever to grace the earth. His (and my) favorite thing to do was sit in a chair together, he was an amazing snuggle bunny. Hated storms - they made him nervous and he simply couldn't be still. When we got a boat last year, Emmy was the unofficial co-captain. He loved the boat (not so much the life jacket). He would roam back to front - sometimes doing his best Kate Winslet in Titanic impression - other times lounging on the cushion in the back. Recently, he'd slowed down and at our son's college graduation, he (son) commented that Emmy appeared bloated. When we took him to the vet, it was determined he had congestive heart and kidney failure. We brought him home for whatever time he had left. The new house rule was there were no rules; if he wanted it, he got it. On major meds twice daily, initially, he'd eat them in his food but that soon waned. By the end of the second week, he was barely eating anything. We took him to the lake but no more boat rides for Emmy. Saturday, he took a turn for the worse - breathing heavily, unable to get comfortable - by that night, my husband sat up with him most of the night just giving him loves. Sunday, we decided to come home a day early to put him out of his misery. On the drive home, we had sheets on the floor near the cool air for him. Instead, he got in Haley's lap (a last goodbye) then insisted on getting in the back seat. Just before we got home, I looked back and realized he was gone. We put him in a box lined with sheets and said our goodbyes. The next morning, my husband took him to be cremated at a WONDERFUL facility in Chantilly, VA. We've now brought a new doxie into our home - not to replace Emmy but to carry on his legacy. The most important thing to us was that Emerson knew he was loved. And my, how he WAS loved. RIP Emerson. |
| contributed June 2010 |
