I went to see the movie, Marley and Me with my friend, Jenica, the other night. I had read the book, so I knew the storyline and was prepared for it (or so I thought...). I cried. I cried hard. I snorted. I sobbed. I didn't have any tissues. Actually, the movie was not that great. Of course, the story had been abbreviated and important details had been left out. It annoyed me that the two main characters (besides Marley that is) didn't age. Much. The kids grew up, the dog got old... Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson stayed the same. It was irritating. But, what really got me, is when Marley could no longer walk up the stairs to sleep with his family. And then, near the end, when the boy said "He Knows"... tore me up. It got me thinking about my Marleys... I've owned three dogs.: Tellico, Thumpie-Dog (Bubba) and the current beastie, JennyDog. I found Tellico in Tennessee as a little puppy. Her eyes were still closed. I was still a free spirit in college and decided to let her experience motherhood (who was I to deny her the joy of motherhood?) so along came Bubba, Tellico's son. Tellico had every vice that a dog could have: leg humper, feces eater, barker, yipper, barker, garbage hound, fence chewer, crotch sniffer, barker, cat chaser (except ours), people herder (especially children). Did I mention barker? One time, while on a doggie walk, Tellico backed out of her collar, ran into a house with an open door and came barrelling out with a loaf of bread between her jaws chased by a large man. She had, apparantly, in a matter of seconds, gone into the house, bee lined to the kitchen counter, stood up on her hind legs, grabbed the bread and ran
out. Unbelievable. Her nickname was "Beast" and I called her "My Beastie", I told everyone: "To know her is to love her..." People, like my Mom, would just roll their eyes. When Tellico was 13, she was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't want my baby to die, and thought she should die on her own. My biggest regret is that I waited too long before I put Tellico down to rest. Her death was long, painful and aweful. She suffered. A lot. I was selfish. Three years later, when Bubba was 13, I vowed not to make the same mistake. He had diabetes for years, was blind (from the diabetes) and, suddenly, dying of kidney failure. I didn't wait. I asked Bubba if he was ready to go, he kissed my nose, laid down and closed his eyes. It was time. Although I was devasted to be losing THE BE
ST DOG EVER (he really was a great dog), I felt really good about the decision. I didn't want my baby to suffer. And he didn't. We went for a walk on Sunday (granted it was very slow) and he died on Tuesday. I thought I would wait a long time before getting another dog but within a day or two I was looking online at shelter and rescue sites. That's where I found Jen. Jenny Dog was a puppy mill mom (she's a Great Pyrenees) who "wasn't producing show quality pups, so the breeder was going to euthanize her." On Friday. It was Wednesday. I took Thursday off of work and drove 9 hours to save her. And I'm ever so happy that I did. Jen is THE SWEETEST dog ever. It kills me that she spent her first three or four years in a chain link cage with no human contact. Dirt floor, tarp roof, dirty water bucket, small doghouse. Her teats were swollen and infected. She was dirty. She was scared. I can't imagine the stress of raising multiple litters of puppies in that kind of environment. She had never been in a car, on a leash, in a house, around people, around children... poor Jen. poor poor Jen. I want to go into animal rescue when I retire... Anyway, when the time comes, I will thank God for the the time I could share with Jenny, sweet Jenny, and I will not be selfish with my need for her to stay on this earth. I hope it's a long time from now. Because we love our girl.
out. Unbelievable. Her nickname was "Beast" and I called her "My Beastie", I told everyone: "To know her is to love her..." People, like my Mom, would just roll their eyes. When Tellico was 13, she was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't want my baby to die, and thought she should die on her own. My biggest regret is that I waited too long before I put Tellico down to rest. Her death was long, painful and aweful. She suffered. A lot. I was selfish. Three years later, when Bubba was 13, I vowed not to make the same mistake. He had diabetes for years, was blind (from the diabetes) and, suddenly, dying of kidney failure. I didn't wait. I asked Bubba if he was ready to go, he kissed my nose, laid down and closed his eyes. It was time. Although I was devasted to be losing THE BE
ST DOG EVER (he really was a great dog), I felt really good about the decision. I didn't want my baby to suffer. And he didn't. We went for a walk on Sunday (granted it was very slow) and he died on Tuesday. I thought I would wait a long time before getting another dog but within a day or two I was looking online at shelter and rescue sites. That's where I found Jen. Jenny Dog was a puppy mill mom (she's a Great Pyrenees) who "wasn't producing show quality pups, so the breeder was going to euthanize her." On Friday. It was Wednesday. I took Thursday off of work and drove 9 hours to save her. And I'm ever so happy that I did. Jen is THE SWEETEST dog ever. It kills me that she spent her first three or four years in a chain link cage with no human contact. Dirt floor, tarp roof, dirty water bucket, small doghouse. Her teats were swollen and infected. She was dirty. She was scared. I can't imagine the stress of raising multiple litters of puppies in that kind of environment. She had never been in a car, on a leash, in a house, around people, around children... poor Jen. poor poor Jen. I want to go into animal rescue when I retire... Anyway, when the time comes, I will thank God for the the time I could share with Jenny, sweet Jenny, and I will not be selfish with my need for her to stay on this earth. I hope it's a long time from now. Because we love our girl. 
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