RIP my Dukie Palooki

I have been crying all day... 

but want to take the time to write this blog. 

Oct 22, 2003 - Nov 3, 2014

I was going to write a blog about the great remodel work we were doing this past weekend on daughter Erin's kitchen.... but instead our world crashed as we lost our dear Dukie Palooki to some awful seizures this morning.  He had been having small ones over the past six months, so we kinda knew this was coming. Along with onset of congestive heart failure, thyroid problems, and a huge tumor under his armpit and on his chest, this little guy has dealt with a lot in his 11 years.

At 5 a.m. he had a horrible seizure that lasted about half an hour.  He could no longer walk, his right side was paralyzed, and he was losing ground fast. We carried him downstairs to the vinyl floor in the laundry room in case things let loose.  Finney crawled up tight against him and didn't leave his side.

Then about 6:30 a.m. another seizure took over, and we had to get him into the vet.  The look in his eyes said "It's time"...

One last snuggle

Appanasha Pet Hospital was very kind, courteous and made sure we knew and saw what they saw, that he was in rough shape, and the kindest thing to do was let him go.  They left us alone with him during the process, so we could say goodbye on our terms.  They even have a side door to carry him out to our car, so we didn't have to face going through the waiting room as we exited the building.

We reached home again, with our sweet boy sleeping forever on the back seat....curled up in Finney's red plaid blanket from when we adopted him.   I went into the house and brought out Finney on leash to the car.  He put his paws carefully up on the door sill and leaned in to sniff his buddy Duke lying on the seat... and Finney licked him on the nose.  Good bye.

While Steve dug the hole next to where our collie, Duchess, is buried, little Finney wore Duke's big collar hanging down on his little neck.  He sat so still, watching and wondering what we were doing with his buddy.  It was a serious and respectful ceremony.

After it was done, we took the collar off Finney and hung the collar along with Duchess's collar, around the neck of a little doggie-statue we have marking the spot.  It was done.



Let me say, I am soooo glad he got ONE MORE RIDE in the motorhome over the weekend, because this little guy ADORED the motorhome.  It was a great moving house that brought him from place to place, each time the door opened, he got a new place to SNIFF!

When we would get home from a weekend or vacation, he would hold a temper tantrum out in the driveway and refuse to come into the house.  This would go on for hours... until either darkness or an empty tummy would drive him reluctantly into the house.

Now I am going to celebrate his life by filling up the rest of this blog page with photos.....