Our granddaughter, Daisy (Lee's 3 year old), calls me
Grandma Boo. She calls me that because of our dog, Boo.
I wonder what she will call me now.....Boo left us.
I don't think she wanted to but she got sick.
After Thanksgiving we noticed she wasn't
quite herself. By Wednesday evening we were
really worried. I listened all night for her breathing.
Thursday morning, with encouragement from my
daughter, Jill, I took her to the Vet.
My eyes were opened in a hurry. I knew she was
sick but I thought it was something like pneumonia.
She had a ruptured spleen and was bleeding
internally. This was caused most likely from a
tumor. And that probably meant that her liver
and lungs were involved. She only had 1/4
of the blood needed in her veins. There was no
choice. We had to put her down.
We were there for about two hours
with tests, x-ray, and lots of talking.
I think, as we were discussing options,
Boo was letting go. If I had taken her home
I think she would have died within hours.
They laid her on the table and she
wasn't even able to sit up. I talked to her
and she gave me some of those little
licks that she did. They gave her
the shot and she was gone.
I won't belabor my feelings or David's
only to say that we really miss her.
I thought I would write down a few
of the things that I learned from Boo.
Recognize when you can't change the situation.
This was Boo's Sunday posture. When she saw
David put on a suit she knew that the events of
the day didn't include her. She would lay down
like she was trying to melt into the floor. She
never asked for attention on Sunday morning.
She seemed to understand that that wasn't
going to happen.
Not all days are work days. You need to play.
She knew Saturday as well as Sunday.
First thing on Saturday mornings
she would find David. She knew he
was not following his weekday routine.
There was always the possibility of
getting out of the house.
Be Patient
Every picture of Boo could be an
illustration of patience. That was probably
her best quality. Every thing else she
did was born out of patience.
Know your limits.
Every now and then (and especially when it
snowed) Boo would run around the yard in a
big circle. It was so comical to watch. But you
had to be there because she would only do it
for a minute maybe two and then it was over...done.
Don't bark at people for everyone you
meet is fighting a hard battle.
This is Boo greeting one of the missionaries.
If someone was at the door she was ready to
greet them. She never barked. Except once
that I remember. I was vacuuming in the back
of the house and someone was at the door.
It startled me to hear her let out a big bark.
But there was someone at the door and she
wanted to greet them. She lived all her life
and only barked once that I know of.
When life gets stale change your view.
Boo loved to go for rides. She rode in the
back seat of our Vibe with both windows down.
She liked the passenger side the best but
sometimes things needed changing and she
would go to the driver side window.
(This was what her ride was all about....
even in the winter.)
Get enough sleep.
I always had two thoughts about Boo and
sleeping all the time. The first was~ we bored
her. There was nothing else to do but sleep.
The second was~ she needed her rest during
the day so she could sleep better at night.
I don't think she actually slept much during
the day. She just had her eyes closed because
she was tired of keeping them open. And
at night she would dream. This is when I know she must
have known she should bark. She would let out yips.
That never happened in the day time.
Get to know your relatives.
There is a saying that cousins don't need
any warm up time. They just see each other,
giggle, and run away to play. (I have seen
this many times myself.) Boo believed in
extended family.....even if it was all about
more treats on the floor to eat.
Love Thy Neighbor
Get out of your house and hang out
with your neighbors. It is good for both of you.
Stay close to your friends.
You need them as much as
they need you.
If you are having a hard time staying on the
straight and narrow don't be alone.
Boo never got into our garbage.....unless we
left it out and left the house. It could be
out on the floor all day and she would not
even sniff at it. But if we left the house
and it was still out we would come home to
trash all over the house.
Always drink fresh water.
Boo would turn her nose up to a
bowl of water. Her favorite water
came from the toilet. And that was
almost always right after a flush.
Don't forget who brought you to the party.
Boo was in heaven when she was part
of an outdoor event. She would run and sniff and
chase whatever and hang out with everyone.
It was a pleasure to
call her name and she would come running.
Loyal Boo.
If you don't like where you are
do something about it.
Boo, never cared for water.
This is as deep as she would
venture out. She was out as quick as
she was in. Who would have thought
she was half Lab.
Never let a first impression be your
last impression.
It was always interesting to see Boo
be a dog. She was our house pet.
I always felt she wanted to be above
a dog's life but she was as dog as
any dog out there.
Falling in love is a good thing.
Coda is our son, Pete's, dog. These two
really enjoyed being together. Dare I
say~ they were both fixed but that
didn't stop their efforts to express
their affections. We always thought
Boo would have been a sweet mama dog.
Long hair can be a good thing.
She looked so cute with long hair.
But I didn't like the shedding.
Laugh at yourself.
Even if it is hard.
Remember where your real strength comes from.
I wish I knew more about doggy heaven.
I wish I knew that she was receiving a
great reward for being our dog these past
4 1/2 years. I will always believe that Boo
was a tender mercy from God who came
into our lives and helped point our lives in
a new direction. She came just as our
youngest child left for her own home. She helped me
by giving me someone else to care for. She came
when David was made the new bishop of our ward. Her
companionship to me during the many
hours he has been gone are dear to me.
David will probably be released this coming
year. So her work was done.
For the greatest part of this time
in our lives she has been our tender mercy.
She filled her assignment.
Oh how we wish she was still here.
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