The One with Remembering Sneakers


Wednesday, July 28, 2010

They say dogs are a man's best friend. I concur. Though Sneakers never reciprocated his affection for me which I so ardently wish he had (I was the one who begged and pleaded and begged some more to get a dog in the first place!!!), he was still the unofficial 6th member of our family for the past 13 wonderful and fun-filled years.

My family had to put down our trustee sheltie known as Sneakers last night. Let's face it, he was falling apart. He had been deaf for a couple years and just recently stopped eating. My mom took him to the vet on Monday where they found out he's allergic to flees and his skin was all sorts of messed up and so was his mouth. Then came the even bigger and worse news - his kidneys had failed. They could try a bunch of expensive procedures, but the outcome was not promising. So my family chose the other, most dreaded, option. My mom called me yesterday to tell me the news and it didn't really sink in until about 4:45pm when I was chatting with my dad:
me: What time is the deed being done?
dald: I think 8:30
me: Super sad. It's almost worse having to be there when it happens I think.
dald: I know. I'm going to tickle his tummy until the end.
(And that's what set off the waterworks. Luckily I sit all by myself in the front of the office so I wept in peace.)
dald: I hope we get our pets back in heaven, that's all I can say.

I went to LDS.org and searched for "pets in heaven." A story from the Liahona magazine came up and here is the answer: “Usually, when we talk about the resurrection, we think of people. But the scriptures teach us that man, the earth, and all the life upon it will be resurrected, mentioning especially the beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea. The Savior gave His life so that everything would rise from the dead, even lizards and robins.”
I'm going to have a looooooooot of pets in heaven. I asked Chris if we get to pick and choose, cuz there are some pets I'd like to have for time and all eternity more than others. He said he's sure it'll all work out. I believe him.

I got an email from my mom at 11pm last night:
"We are all so completely sad. Eric wept. Allie wept. Dald clutched at his chest like he was having a heart attack. He said he felt like his heart was breaking. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. I want Sneakers to contact me from doggie heaven to tell me he's okay."
Malm - I'm sure he's running around chasing lawnmowers, barking at doorbells ringing, and loving having his hearing back. I'm sure he's one happy dog.

In memory of our beloved family pet, here are some pictures from Sneakers' life:
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Some time in the early fall of 1997
When we first got him we used to call him a Beanie Baby because he was so small. I remember when we were deciding on a name before we got him. It was either between Hawkeye and Sneakers. I'm glad Sneakers won out, Hawkeye is weird...

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Some time in the fall of 1997
Was he really ever that little?

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Some time in the winter 1997
Teenage dogs aren't the cutest are they? They're gangly and awkwardly proportioned. But still. Sneaks is pretty cute.

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February 14th, 1998
Ahhh, the life of a bachelor on Valentine's Day :)

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November 11th, 2000
Love this action shot of Eric jumping into the leaves and his best friend not far behind.

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December 1st, 2002
Pretty much the only picture I have of just me and Sneakers.

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June 1st, 2003
I remember every morning while still living at home, I would hear a "scrape scrape scrape" on Eric's door and he would open it and let Sneaks come in to sleep with him until Eric woke up.

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January 24th, 2005
Sneakers would never harm a fly. He loved other animals and would lick them like they were his own pups. This is shortly after my dad cut a hole in the wall where we heard funny noises and it turned out to be Allie's hamster Ida. Proof that my dad has a soft spot for animals. He cut a hole in the wall!

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November 26th, 2005
These red booties lasted about as long as it took to get this picture!

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September 3rd, 2006
Happy dog! Seriously, it looks like he's smiling!

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November 12th, 2007
This was one of his favorite spots. He loved to sit under this kitchen table chair and rest his chin on the rungs.

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August 4th, 2008
Bring your dog to work day at Google. Sneakers didn't last very long before he started barking. But he did get this awesome sweater!

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December 6th, 2008
Just a pretty picture of Sneakers out in nature.

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January 26th, 2009
Probably my favorite picture of Sneakers ever.

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July 29th, 2009
Almost exactly one year ago.

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July 8th, 2010
This is the last picture I took of Sneakers - in his favorite spot. It's such a new picture that it's still in my "to sort" folder, meaning I haven't uploaded it to Picasa and placed it into the "Pictures-Animals-Sneakers" folder. I'm so glad I got to go home to Washington just a few weeks ago, if only to say good-bye to Sneakers.

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July 27th, 2010
Yesterday the neighbor boys, Eric, Tanya, and Allison helped dig a grave for Sneakers. My mom says they're going to put his doggie bed in first, then Sneaks, then the green blankie he always sat on when they took him up to Lake Wenatchee.

Edited to add this slideshow that Eric made in memory of Sneakers:
We love you and we miss you Sneakers.

18 comments

  1. This makes me sad : ( I sure hope sneakers and koko are in doggy heaven together!!!

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  2. Im crying as i read your post and typing this comment. I have a dog right now named cece.... im 28 and we got him 2years ago. he is my first dog ever. i never understood the human...dog relationship till cece came along. now i dont know what i would do if we ever lose him. im sure sneakers is in doggie heaven where they all go. and he loves your family very much.

    dogs are so special and bring so much joy into our lives.

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  3. I only have really great memories of Sneakers. He was the sweetest dog ever. Sneakers loved you, Paige, just like he loved the rest of us. I'm sure of that! I miss him!

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  4. Great tribute, Paige. I almost busted out a tear here at work. I kept looking for Sneakers on the bedroom floor this morning in his usual place.

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  5. Awww! This brought tears to my eyes. I know how hard it is losing pets! They're members of the family! I wish I could give you a hug today! Just know that I'm sending hugs from far away! :-) And I believe we will DEFINITELY see our pets in Heaven. :-)

    Our family dog, Bridgette, I got her when I was five, and she died when I was 19. She died in our arms, my mom and me. That was 8.5 years ago... I still have a hard time thinking about her.

    I'll pray for strength and peace for you and your family today! :-)

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  6. I'm so sorry to hear about Sneakers. I can't imagine being there for his last breath. So glad you got to see him one last time. Your dads statement of tickling his belly brought me to tears as well. What a great memorializing blog posting for him. I still remember when you guys first brought him home. He was loved and will be missed.

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  7. My sympathies for Sneakers. I'm sure you did the right thing so he didn't suffer.

    I firmly believe we'll get to see our pets again someday... I'm counting on it!

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  8. awww. i'm so sorry. losing a pet is so sad, and sneakers was WAY cute. my family had a collie for years and years...she died when i was a freshman in college and we were all devastated.

    although her burial did NOT go quite as nice as sneakers' will...let's just say it involved a trash can and bloated animal flesh, i'll have to tell you sometime ;)

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  9. i am terribly sorry to hear about the passing of sneakers. there is nothing like the love from a pet...so true and unwavering.
    my dog hopper passed on july 8th and my life has changed 110%. i miss him every moment, but trust that i will see his sweet face again one day!
    my thoughts are with you & your family!
    *

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  10. This was so hard to read at work without crying. I'm so sorry for your family's loss. I have 3 dogs & I don't know what I would do without them. I always pray they'll live to be 20+ at least ;) I definitely believe all animals go to heaven too!

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  11. Oh my - I'm bawling over at this end of the computer, Paige! BIG hugs to you and your family. I have lots a few beloved pets in my lifetime too and when my sweet dog Maggie dies, well - let's just say I'm going to fall apart. She's my sidekick and my sweet little buddy. I believe she truly saved my life. I'm so sorry for you and your family's loss. I'm thinking of you and sending BIG hugs your way!

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  12. I'm so sorry to hear that, Paige. But he was such a beautiful dog!! Love all the pictures!

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  13. awww Paige. I am so sorry, not sure if it is the pregnancy hormones but I have tears streaming down my face. He was a gorgeous dog. Take Care.
    Tamara x

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  14. awww, sneakers. he was so itty bitty! love all these photos. maybe sneakers is hanging out with my first dog, addison up there! big hugs

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  15. Oh Paige, how heartbreaking. As a dog lover, I can only imagine the pain your family is feeling. Dogs really are family members. RIP Sneakers.

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  16. Aww, Sneakers was so beautiful!! We are looking to get a dog, and I think I may know what kind to get now! I'm so very sorry for your loss. It is never easy to let a pet go. They are family too. Sending hugs your way!

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  17. DEar Paige and all of the Taylors,
    I am so sorry about Sneakers. I still hurt when I think about Belle. It is so painful. When you read "Behind the Mist" you will know what happens to the dogs after death!!! Love, Mom/margi

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