Proppy was a Black Lab/Chow mix. She adopted us at about age 3. My oldest son, who we lovingly called "Marlin Perkins", was the only one of us who she would let near her at first. After 3 weeks of hiding under our back deck, she waited for us on the front porch with a very swollen lip. I think she knew we were helping her because this dog who wouldn't come near us, let us scoop her up and take her to the vet. A wasp had stung her. So, we got her her shots and she adopted us with her whole heart.
She loved both my boys. They were her boys. They could flop on her, lay on her, pull her ears, didn't matter. She always waited by the door for them to come home from school and throughout the day, would roam the house looking for them to make sure they were safe. She guarded her house and her family with a charge, a bark and a growl. Nobody was getting in unless she knew you.
She was so funny. We always gave her a wrapped bone at Christmas. She would hold it between her front paws and gingerly, with her front teeth, gently tear the paper away. She loved attacking 2-liter soda bottles. All we had to do was blow in an empty one and she was ready for action. First, she'd chew the cap off then she had to flatten it. Once it was "dead", she was satisfied.
She loved her "bye-bye" rides in the car. She'd get out of the house every so often but usually come home within a half hour. One morning, she got out but I had to leave for work. So I took the car to go pick her up. She was so excited to see me & the car (more the car, I think). My mistake was taking her straight home because the next time this happened, she wouldn't come near the car. She knew she wasn't going for a bye-bye ride, she was going straight home. I had to go home, get some bologna, and tease her into the car. Then I had to give her a 10 minute bye-bye ride so the next time she wouldn't ignore me completely. She was a smart and shrewd cookie.
She was sitting on her haunch in the living room in between the boys with my oldest scratching her chest. This must have felt really good because she began sliding down the front of the couch she was leaning on. About that time, I smelled something horrible and asked, "Ok, who farted?". At that second, she fell completely on her side with one paw raised. I knew it was her!!! She finally admitted it.
She loved to chase squirrels in our back yard. I loved to watch her at the sliding glass door staring at them. I'd say "You wanna chase the squirrels?". She'd hop up and get her butt to wiggling. I'd count to 3 and pull open the sliding glass door and she'd tear after the squirrels and send them flying up the trees. She'd jump and bark her head off at them. She'd follow them from tree to tree. When she was asleep and dreaming, she'd let out little yips or huffs and her paws would twitch. We'd whisper to her, "Slow, fat, squirrels" and her paws would twitch faster. She really was the funniest sweetheart.
Being a large breed, she came down with hip dysplasia. We couldn't afford to have her hip replaced but we did have the ball of the hip bone shaved so it was round again and hopefully, this would allow it to move easier in the socket and relieve her pain. She never quite recovered from the surgery and after 4 months of watching her slowing stop walking, stop eating, trips to the vet for dehydration and appetite shots, and finally she stopped drinking water and just laid on her bed for the last 2 days, I knew it was time. It was one of the hardest things to do. I stayed with her, cradling her head so she could smell me and hopefully, it calmed her a little bit. Then, very quietly, she was gone. I stayed with her for another 2 hours and cried. I came home and told the boys and we all cried. It was very hard on them. They loved her so.
We had her cremated. The boys and I spread her ashes all over our backyard wishing she would now be able to catch all the squirrels she wanted.
She was family.
We called her Proppy because when she wagged her tail, it went in circles, like a propeller.
She loved both my boys. They were her boys. They could flop on her, lay on her, pull her ears, didn't matter. She always waited by the door for them to come home from school and throughout the day, would roam the house looking for them to make sure they were safe. She guarded her house and her family with a charge, a bark and a growl. Nobody was getting in unless she knew you.
She was so funny. We always gave her a wrapped bone at Christmas. She would hold it between her front paws and gingerly, with her front teeth, gently tear the paper away. She loved attacking 2-liter soda bottles. All we had to do was blow in an empty one and she was ready for action. First, she'd chew the cap off then she had to flatten it. Once it was "dead", she was satisfied.
She loved her "bye-bye" rides in the car. She'd get out of the house every so often but usually come home within a half hour. One morning, she got out but I had to leave for work. So I took the car to go pick her up. She was so excited to see me & the car (more the car, I think). My mistake was taking her straight home because the next time this happened, she wouldn't come near the car. She knew she wasn't going for a bye-bye ride, she was going straight home. I had to go home, get some bologna, and tease her into the car. Then I had to give her a 10 minute bye-bye ride so the next time she wouldn't ignore me completely. She was a smart and shrewd cookie.
She was sitting on her haunch in the living room in between the boys with my oldest scratching her chest. This must have felt really good because she began sliding down the front of the couch she was leaning on. About that time, I smelled something horrible and asked, "Ok, who farted?". At that second, she fell completely on her side with one paw raised. I knew it was her!!! She finally admitted it.
She loved to chase squirrels in our back yard. I loved to watch her at the sliding glass door staring at them. I'd say "You wanna chase the squirrels?". She'd hop up and get her butt to wiggling. I'd count to 3 and pull open the sliding glass door and she'd tear after the squirrels and send them flying up the trees. She'd jump and bark her head off at them. She'd follow them from tree to tree. When she was asleep and dreaming, she'd let out little yips or huffs and her paws would twitch. We'd whisper to her, "Slow, fat, squirrels" and her paws would twitch faster. She really was the funniest sweetheart.
Being a large breed, she came down with hip dysplasia. We couldn't afford to have her hip replaced but we did have the ball of the hip bone shaved so it was round again and hopefully, this would allow it to move easier in the socket and relieve her pain. She never quite recovered from the surgery and after 4 months of watching her slowing stop walking, stop eating, trips to the vet for dehydration and appetite shots, and finally she stopped drinking water and just laid on her bed for the last 2 days, I knew it was time. It was one of the hardest things to do. I stayed with her, cradling her head so she could smell me and hopefully, it calmed her a little bit. Then, very quietly, she was gone. I stayed with her for another 2 hours and cried. I came home and told the boys and we all cried. It was very hard on them. They loved her so.
We had her cremated. The boys and I spread her ashes all over our backyard wishing she would now be able to catch all the squirrels she wanted.
She was family.
We called her Proppy because when she wagged her tail, it went in circles, like a propeller.
Proppy was a Black Lab/Chow mix. She adopted us at about age 3. My oldest son, who we lovingly called "Marlin Perkins", was the only one of us who she would let near her at first. After 3 weeks of hiding under our back deck, she waited for us on the front porch with a very swollen lip. I think she knew we were helping her because this dog who wouldn't come near us, let us scoop her up and take her to the vet. A wasp had stung her. So, we got her her shots and she adopted us with her whole heart.
She loved both my boys. They were her boys. They could flop on her, lay on her, pull her ears, didn't matter. She always waited by the door for them to come home from school and throughout the day, would roam the house looking for them to make sure they were safe. She guarded her house and her family with a charge, a bark and a growl. Nobody was getting in unless she knew you.
She was so funny. We always gave her a wrapped bone at Christmas. She would hold it between her front paws and gingerly, with her front teeth, gently tear the paper away. She loved attacking 2-liter soda bottles. All we had to do was blow in an empty one and she was ready for action. First, she'd chew the cap off then she had to flatten it. Once it was "dead", she was satisfied.
She loved her "bye-bye" rides in the car. She'd get out of the house every so often but usually come home within a half hour. One morning, she got out but I had to leave for work. So I took the car to go pick her up. She was so excited to see me & the car (more the car, I think). My mistake was taking her straight home because the next time this happened, she wouldn't come near the car. She knew she wasn't going for a bye-bye ride, she was going straight home. I had to go home, get some bologna, and tease her into the car. Then I had to give her a 10 minute bye-bye ride so the next time she wouldn't ignore me completely. She was a smart and shrewd cookie.
She was sitting on her haunch in the living room in between the boys with my oldest scratching her chest. This must have felt really good because she began sliding down the front of the couch she was leaning on. About that time, I smelled something horrible and asked, "Ok, who farted?". At that second, she fell completely on her side with one paw raised. I knew it was her!!! She finally admitted it.
She loved to chase squirrels in our back yard. I loved to watch her at the sliding glass door staring at them. I'd say "You wanna chase the squirrels?". She'd hop up and get her butt to wiggling. I'd count to 3 and pull open the sliding glass door and she'd tear after the squirrels and send them flying up the trees. She'd jump and bark her head off at them. She'd follow them from tree to tree. When she was asleep and dreaming, she'd let out little yips or huffs and her paws would twitch. We'd whisper to her, "Slow, fat, squirrels" and her paws would twitch faster. She really was the funniest sweetheart.
Being a large breed, she came down with hip dysplasia. We couldn't afford to have her hip replaced but we did have the ball of the hip bone shaved so it was round again and hopefully, this would allow it to move easier in the socket and relieve her pain. She never quite recovered from the surgery and after 4 months of watching her slowing stop walking, stop eating, trips to the vet for dehydration and appetite shots, and finally she stopped drinking water and just laid on her bed for the last 2 days, I knew it was time. It was one of the hardest things to do. I stayed with her, cradling her head so she could smell me and hopefully, it calmed her a little bit. Then, very quietly, she was gone. I stayed with her for another 2 hours and cried. I came home and told the boys and we all cried. It was very hard on them. They loved her so.
We had her cremated. The boys and I spread her ashes all over our backyard wishing she would now be able to catch all the squirrels she wanted.
She was family.
We called her Proppy because when she wagged her tail, it went in circles, like a propeller.
She loved both my boys. They were her boys. They could flop on her, lay on her, pull her ears, didn't matter. She always waited by the door for them to come home from school and throughout the day, would roam the house looking for them to make sure they were safe. She guarded her house and her family with a charge, a bark and a growl. Nobody was getting in unless she knew you.
She was so funny. We always gave her a wrapped bone at Christmas. She would hold it between her front paws and gingerly, with her front teeth, gently tear the paper away. She loved attacking 2-liter soda bottles. All we had to do was blow in an empty one and she was ready for action. First, she'd chew the cap off then she had to flatten it. Once it was "dead", she was satisfied.
She loved her "bye-bye" rides in the car. She'd get out of the house every so often but usually come home within a half hour. One morning, she got out but I had to leave for work. So I took the car to go pick her up. She was so excited to see me & the car (more the car, I think). My mistake was taking her straight home because the next time this happened, she wouldn't come near the car. She knew she wasn't going for a bye-bye ride, she was going straight home. I had to go home, get some bologna, and tease her into the car. Then I had to give her a 10 minute bye-bye ride so the next time she wouldn't ignore me completely. She was a smart and shrewd cookie.
She was sitting on her haunch in the living room in between the boys with my oldest scratching her chest. This must have felt really good because she began sliding down the front of the couch she was leaning on. About that time, I smelled something horrible and asked, "Ok, who farted?". At that second, she fell completely on her side with one paw raised. I knew it was her!!! She finally admitted it.
She loved to chase squirrels in our back yard. I loved to watch her at the sliding glass door staring at them. I'd say "You wanna chase the squirrels?". She'd hop up and get her butt to wiggling. I'd count to 3 and pull open the sliding glass door and she'd tear after the squirrels and send them flying up the trees. She'd jump and bark her head off at them. She'd follow them from tree to tree. When she was asleep and dreaming, she'd let out little yips or huffs and her paws would twitch. We'd whisper to her, "Slow, fat, squirrels" and her paws would twitch faster. She really was the funniest sweetheart.
Being a large breed, she came down with hip dysplasia. We couldn't afford to have her hip replaced but we did have the ball of the hip bone shaved so it was round again and hopefully, this would allow it to move easier in the socket and relieve her pain. She never quite recovered from the surgery and after 4 months of watching her slowing stop walking, stop eating, trips to the vet for dehydration and appetite shots, and finally she stopped drinking water and just laid on her bed for the last 2 days, I knew it was time. It was one of the hardest things to do. I stayed with her, cradling her head so she could smell me and hopefully, it calmed her a little bit. Then, very quietly, she was gone. I stayed with her for another 2 hours and cried. I came home and told the boys and we all cried. It was very hard on them. They loved her so.
We had her cremated. The boys and I spread her ashes all over our backyard wishing she would now be able to catch all the squirrels she wanted.
She was family.
We called her Proppy because when she wagged her tail, it went in circles, like a propeller.
