Dogs & Decorating (A Re-Post): In Memory of our Sweet Pup

Kerri

12 years ago

This post was most recently updated on September 22nd, 2019

I first shared this post about Dogs & Decorating last May. Today, I thought I’d post it again as a tribute to our sweet pup.

Yesterday, we said good-bye to our 14-year-old black lab. We are, of course, heartbroken. She was the sweetest pup ever. She was the type of dog that could sense sadness from another room, and then quickly come to make it better. She had a deep and protective bark, but was a total fake that way. Her gentle nature made her the perfect dog for our 3 kids. She’ll be dearly missed.

I talk to him when I’m lonesome like; and I’m sure he understands.

When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands;

Then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat.

For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that.

~W. Dayton Wedgefarth

Re-Post (from May 2011):

I’ve talked a bit around here about my crazy life with 3 kids, including 19-month old twin boys and a soon-to-be 7 year old daughter.

But before there were ever human babies around here, there were two big fur babies, our pure bred black lab, and our SPCA collie-mix.

For the past 12 years, I have struggled to strike a balance between living with our dogs and having a pretty home.

I am a bit obsessive about my home, but it’s a battle that can’t be won when you live with two beasts.

Let’s face it, dogs and decorating don’t mix well. For me, a nice home starts with a clean home, and well, dogs are messy. REALLY messy. Sigh.

I’ve often thought how sparkling clean my home would be without dogs. Let’s see…

Well, for starters, without dogs, I wouldn’t have to vacuum daily.

Without dogs, our hardwood floors would be perpetually shiny and scratch-free.

Without dogs, I wouldn’t have to buy air fresheners, or swiffers, or sticky lint rollers.

And, I wouldn’t have to replace my rugs annually.

Without dogs, guests could sit on our couch without needing a full body check with a lint brush.

I would never have to worry about stepping in a puddle of warm pee in the middle of the night while fumbling to make the babies’ bottles.

Without dogs, you wouldn’t find me in PJs and rainboots on any random night at 2am, gently nudging an 80-lb arthritic beast up the back steps in a rainstorm (or blizzard).

I wouldn’t have to clean up snowballs throughout the house in winter. And in summer, our grass would be luscious and green, and free of pee burns.

Without dogs, I wouldn’t constantly have slobber-marks all over my new windows.

Yes, come to think of it, without dogs, life sure would be a whole lot cleaner and easier around here. And my home would be a whole lot prettier.

But, I wouldn’t have it any other way! Despite all this work, they still are adored beyond words after all these years.

They are getting older now, evidenced by the requirement of insulin shots and other meds daily, and it’s becoming clearer that we won’t have them forever. It breaks my heart to think about life without them.

When that day comes, I know my home will finally be fresh and shiny and lint-free. But the biggest part of what makes our house a home will be missing. There will be an emptiness that will be hard to fill with ‘nice things’.