Meet Andy...

Well...meet our new family member Andy. Andy is short for Andolini. Yes, it is from the book and movie, "The Godfather", which is one of my favorite saga's. (For those who are not familiar, Andolini was The Godfather...Don Vito Corelone's original last name before he was a stowaway to the US). Anywho...Sissy has done so well with little Andy. We brought him home, introduced them in the backyard and not exactly two peas in a pod, but pretty close. Andy rests in Sissy's "crook". I think it is very comforting for him to have an older "mama" style dog to follow and love on.

She has definitely put him in his place a couple of time. We frequently have Cheerios on the floor after snack or breakfast. Sissy decided some weeks ago that she would pass on eating the cheerios in hopes of scoring something much more awesome to eat. Yesterday, Little Brownie gave Andy his graham cracker and Sissy politely came over and took it from Andy. She was not bothered one bit by his jumping around and barking. So, he went back to eating the Cheerios on the floor, which to him, was a big treat. He also wanted her to get up a play with him in the middle of the night. She nipped at him with a motherly snap, and he laid back down and went back to sleep.

The Brownies are having so much fun as well. They don't really understand the concept of "Not running" so Andy thinks they are running to play. As all puppies do, he likes to nibble on hands, feet, toes, ears or hair. They have adapted well so far, but we have a ways to go. Keep up in your prayers and we'll keep you up to date with what I'm sure will be our "Brownie Saga" as the days go by.

A few adventures...

We have had a few adventures over the last few days. Friday, the Brownies and I trekked to our new "Discount Tire Store" to buy new shoes for the family truck-ster. Of course, after Daddy Brown had selected the tires online and then after me calling the store to verify they had the tires were in stock, when we got there, my tires were gone. Ummm...it had been 1 hour since I had called the store. I didn't let myself get upset as I would have done in my past. I simply looked very puzzled and explained that I had called before bringing my 2 children under the age of 3 to a tire store. The salesman was very helpful and understanding. He offered a comparable but slightly better tire to me for the same price as the original tire I was looking to purchase. I called Daddy Brown to make sure that was satisfactory and now, we have a new set of Pirelli tires on the car. We have been needing tires for a while, but ugh, it's one of those purchases you hate to buy. It's not fun, they are just tires. While there, I brought the portable DVD for the boys to watch and they LOVED running around the showroom looking at the tires. 30 minutes later, we were on our way. I would highly recommend the "Discount Tire Store". They really took care of us and got us in and out in a flash.

Also, we are in the market for a new Boxer puppy dog. We have struggled since Bubba passed back in January on whether to rescue another Boxer or get a puppy. This past Thursday, I went out to the Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue in Brentwood. This is where we originally got Bubba and Sissy. I was there to take some snapshots of the current dogs for their website. I had such a great time and loved on those sweet dogs. It truly broke my heart that someone didn't want to come and take these poor babies in. You may ask then, "Why we are looking for a puppy instead of a rescue?" For a couple of reasons...first, we still have Sissy girl with us and she is getting a little more frail every week. She can almost be knocked over if one of the boys run too fast and accidentally bump her. The Boxers at the rescue are full of exuberant life, as adult Boxers tend to be. They could easily knock her over and that is not what we want for our Sissy girl in her final times with us or for the boys as they are still small. Secondly, as Boxer girls are very dominant and territorial, we are only in the market for a male. With the exception of one Boxer at the rescue, most all others were rather large. And thirdly, with the boys being under 3 and not knowing the background of these Boxers, we want to bring up a dog as a puppy so that they can know the layout and their place. Sissy can "mother" the puppy and help keep him inline as well. It is a good idea when getting a new puppy to allow them to be raised with an older dog if possible, so they can learn from them too. We are fortunate to still have Sissy and this would also give her an opportunity to play with another animal as she has always done with Bubba.

That being said, it is difficult to find a good housemate. For instance, we took a 45 minute trip Saturday in hopes of finding our newest member. Daddy Brown went in to see and check out the 1 male boxer that was left in the litter. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the poor puppy didn't have an under bite. For those who don't understand what that means, he basically had a mouth and teeth setup the same as a lab or golden retriever. The under bite is a basic characteristic of a Boxer. Daddy Brown showed the regular bite to the owners and they were shocked and surprised. Seriously, you have a Boxer litter that you are charging good money for it...and you didn't check the bite, not even when you were playing with the puppies...you didn't notice. So, with that, we have to be careful when we are selecting a pup. Good health, standard characteristics of the breed and the temperament of the parent dogs should all be taken into consideration as well. Boxers are a great family dog. They are great with kids and they are great protectors. They have TONS of energy and once they have expended that energy outside, they are BIG couch potatoes inside. We are not rushing to get a puppy, so we can be a little more cautious and selective. We love the breed and hope to find a great, new member of our family soon.

3 kid meals please...

Over the last few days, I just haven't felt like myself. Partly missing my Bubba, the other is that we are waiting to hear from the vet about Sissy. She has been having some issues of her own and we are hoping for the best, but anticipating the worst. Sissy has been a little blue as well.

Since Bubba's no longer with us, it hurts my heart to leave Sissy all alone in the house by herself. Today, I needed to run some medicine to Aunt Fudge's house and then to Publix to pick up a few items. As I'm putting shoes on the Brownies, Sissy stands in the background looking at me. I remembered how much she loves to go for rides in the car. Bubba always hated the car, so we didn't take them riding that often. I got her leash, strapped it on and headed to the car. Big Brownie asked, "Mama, is Sissy going to ride in the car with us? Can I hold her in my lap...PLEASE?"

I opened the door and in she jumped...Shotgun Sissy. Panting and nub just a working, she was so excited to go with us. As we began our trip, she sat down looking forward as if she were a person. I cracked her window open and her little nose stuck out just enough for her to get a good sniff of cows, horses, hay and everything else in the wind. We went to Aunt Fudge's house, then to Publix. She was not thrilled when I got back from leaving her in the car. But then...something that blew her mind away. We went to the Burger King drive-thru. Oh the excitement! I got Sissy her own kids meal. HEAVEN! She was so good. The Brownies kept calling out her name and talking to her, but her eyes were focused 100% on me and my precious brown paper sack.

She had a cheeseburger and fries. The boys got to have her toy. She has been stuck to me like glue. Wherever I go, she is no further than 3 steps behind me. At night, I spend a little extra time with her after everyone has gone to bed, rubbing her head and talking to her. I hope she knows how much we love her too. The Brownies and Daddy Brown have been giving her a few extra pats on her back and rubs on her head. At naptime and nighttime when we are putting the boys to bed, she is on the floor or in the bed as we read books and say our prayers. We are including her more in our family life and she has very little restrictions. Hopefully we will get news from the vet soon and hopefully, it will be good.

Resting and at peace...

So...it is done. Our Bubba is now peacefully resting in our backyard. It has been a tough week and even tougher day today. Daddy Brown and I are terribly heartbroken, but know that we have made the right decision for our Bubba. He will no longer be in pain and will suffer no more. I began preparing Big Brownie for what was to come. Yesterday, I explained that Bubba was sick and he had to go to the doctor. I told him that Daddy Brown and I would take Bubba to the doctor and then Bubba would go to be with Baby Jesus in heaven. I told him that when he came home from his play date at Aunt Fudge's house, that Bubba would not be here.

As much as a 2 year old could comprehend, he knew something was happening to Bubba and that I had been upset. He comforted me all week. He would ask me, "Mama, are you sad?" I would tell him, "Yes baby, Mama is very sad?" More than once, he told me "Mama, let me hold you", "Mama, do you want a hug?" "Here Mama, drink some juice, it'll make you feel ALL better" and "Mama, here, have a binkie". All things that are comforting to him when he is feeling sad. It helped me know that my son knows how to recognize emotion and how to accommodate accordingly. He knows how to have compassion and he knows how to comfort. I'm so proud of my boys. Even Little Brownie came and gave me hugs and kisses all week for no apparent reason. Big Brownie told me several times, "Mama...Daddy will be home REAL soon to hold you and make it all better." That helps me to know that he sees the love between Daddy Brown and I, and he knows that I find comfort in his Dad and that I love him very much.

Yes, it has been a tough week. Aunt Apple and Aunt Berry both came by yesterday to say their goodbye's. Aunt Berry took a few pictures of Bubba and Sissy while she was here. I'm thankful that today was the most beautiful day and that I was able to take my Bubba and Sissy out to play in the backyard while the boys took their naps. We played and I took a few more pictures of them enjoying each other and enjoying the day. The Lord blessed us with this last day to be with them, love on them and hold them. Daddy Brown came home early from work and had time to spend with our Bubba before we left for his appointment. Our heart aches and we have held our Sissy all night. She knows something is different and I'm sure is wondering where her Bubba is too. Big Brownie came home tonight and asked about Bubba. He wanted to know when he would be coming home. I reminded him he was with Baby Jesus now up in heaven. His response..."Oh, right. Are we going to sing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus again?" So sweet.

We will all remember our Bubba. He was a great pet, friend, companion and family member. It is difficult for me to sleep tonight. I want so badly for him to be inside sleeping on the couch with Sissy. I want to rub his sweet face and see his little nub wag with happiness. Daddy Brown and I will rely on all the sweet memories of our Bubba to help us through the next few days. Each day will hopefully get a little easier. Each day will hopefully get a little better. For now, we have comfort in knowing that he is finally resting and is now finally at peace.

Decisions...

Before you begin to read this, I'll apologize now for it being really long. If you keep up with our family, you know that we have 2 four legged children that we have had for 8 1/2 years. They have been with us for 2/3 of our married life. For many years, they provided and filled the void of not having children and actually helped us to learn some parenting skills. I know, you laugh, but caring for inside dogs at times can be just as much responsibility as our Brownies. Until about 2 years ago, we didn't have a fence in our backyard. So, at least 3 times a day, either myself or Daddy Brown would walk our pets around the backyard to allow them to do their business. In the Spring, Summer and Fall months, we would take them for walks down the road to give them some extra exercise.

Bubba and Sissy came from a Boxer Rescue locally. We knew we wanted a male and female dog. We wanted them to be each others companion. I had my eye on two very large boxers. Weighing in at 80+ pounds each. Daddy Brown had his eye on Bruiser and Shasta, this was Bubba and Sissy's name at the rescue. They weighed in around 50 and 45 pounds respectively. They were smaller and even though they played a little rough with each other, he felt that handling 2 - 50 pound dogs would be easier than 2 - 80 pounds dogs. Have I mentioned I married the smartest man on the universe?

We brought Ben and Sarah home, a.k.a. Bubba and Sissy. They came into our new home and ran all over the house smelling everything. We ran upstairs and jumped around with them in the bed. We fed them their first meal and they fought over the food. We separated them and for the first year of their lives in our house, we fed Bubba in the house and Sissy in the garage. We made a special meal for Sissy every day. She has a tremendous under bite and so the rescue recommended wet and dry food. Bubba has food allergies and is allergic to plastic. His food bowl made him breakout with "doggy acne" and he can't eat beef or chicken proteins.

So, life with Bubba and Sissy finally settled in. We went to work in the morning and tried leaving them in the house. Monday and Tuesday's were always perfect. Wednesday's, we would always regret leaving them in the house. Their first Christmas, Gran Gran had given me a hot chocolate/popcorn/movie gift. It had assorted flavors of hot cocoa. You would think leaving it up in middle of the table would be a sign that this was not for dogs. However, they had a full 8-9 hours to plan and execute their take over of the hot cocoa...and they succeeded. We came home to HUGE hot cocoa stains in our beige house. Not only had they busted into the cocoa, but then they laid on the floor licking and wallering it into the carpet.

We had a VHS tape stand in our living room. All my favorite movies were stored here. One day we came home and they had opened, eaten and ran through the house at least 10 or 15 VHS tapes and the house was draped in tape. As we were yelling at them and cleaning up the mess, one movie uncovered under the mess was left completely untouched. Wanna take a stab at the name of this saved and honored VHS tape? "ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN" Seriously, can they read too? It made us laugh so hard and still does.

We finally resorted to putting them in the garage during the day. We put a couch out there and Daddy Brown fashioned some pretty fancy dog beds out of PVC pipe so they would not have to be on the floor. I also used the garage for storage of my paper products. I have a little bit of a hoarder in me. I like to buy on sale and I like to buy a lot. I had purchased enough toilet paper and paper towels to last to the next coming of Jesus. We came home one afternoon and it looked like it had snowed in the garage. Nearly every roll of toilet paper and paper towels had been ripped to shreds. What fun they must have had. We joked many times about putting up a video camera so we could see what they do during the day...but we never did.

Over the last year or so, Bubba has been experiencing little strokes that have progressively gotten worse and more frequent. Last Thursday, he had a full blown seizure. I knew something was up when he followed me into the kitchen and his feet kept slipping out from under him. I picked him up and put him on the couch. The Brownies were running around not really paying much attention to what was happening. I held him and rubbed him and thought, ok, it's over.

Then, he jumped down, walked around the table and it began. I made Big Brownie get up in the chair and I put Little Brownie in his high chair out of harms way. Sissy came near and laid down in the floor. Bubba's arms and legs stretched out as he lost control of his muscles and he began to cry. Then, he began to scream. He lost his bowels and his toes curled up. It was the worst doggy seizure I'd ever seen or heard. I called Daddy Brown and thankfully he was less than 3 minutes from the house. I called the vets office and they said to bring him in. As Daddy Brown walked in, I'm in tears and upset. Bubba is just laying in the floor. He was still somewhat unaware of what was going on. Daddy Brown picked him up and took him to the vet. I was sure he probably wouldn't be coming home. By the time they got to the vet's office, he had recovered and was acting fine. They drew blood to sent to the lab. Daddy Brown brought him home so we could talk about how best to care for our Bubba. We heard from the vet the next day and he either has cancer or a brain tumor, or both.

I've never been a fan of putting an animal to sleep. However, the vet said it was not advisable to leave the boys alone with Bubba in case he has another seizure. Seizure can cause uncontrolled behavior and if one of the boys got curious and got to close...who knows what might happen. There isn't really anything we can do to heal our Bubba, only make him comfortable at this point. Any measures taken, would really only prolong the inevitable. I wish we would come downstairs and find that he had passed in his sleep. Unfortunately, that's not realistic. As responsible pet owners, we have to make decisions...the tough decisions.

We've picked out Bubba's final resting place in the backyard. The place he loves to lay when the sun can warm his little body. The place he can graze on his favorite grass. The place he loves to watch the peaceful breeze of the wheat field gently sway in the Summer and Fall. These are our final days with our Bubba. We continue to feed him boiled hamburger and rice for his meals and for dessert "Frosty Paws" (found in the freezer section at the grocery). It's been a tough weekend. Daddy Brown and I love our Bubba and Sissy almost as much as our Brownies. They have provided us with so many wonderful laughing moments. They have loved us unconditionally and loved our Brownies the same. The next few days will be even tougher as we get closer to his appointment. When he is finally at peace, I know he will run and play in heaven because...All Dogs Go To Heaven!