Boo as a family member - Oct. 13, 2007 -> May 5th, 2012

                                          family vacation fall of  '08 #066

    Saturday I awoke to very overcast sky's and dreariness. I knew the rain that came, was coming. What I had no clue too, was the news I would be given that day.
    Brian had a peculiar expression on his face as he came in from work and knelt in front of my chair. His eyes told me he had unhappy news to tell me. My instinct was that he was going to tell me he was no longer employed at his main job. While I knew that would make our current circumstances even more challenging, I also knew that we would make it. We'd been that route a few too many times before. Not easy, but via God's help, we'd survive.
    Late that night, I told him that my heart really wished that was what he had told me. I truly think I would have handled that TONS better. Instead, he told me that he'd gotten a text from Brent. Boo had broke his hip and they had to put him down. With a loud "No-o-o.." I started crying. Bawling actually. Tears were running down Brian's cheek as well. Just typing this starts the tears again.
    Back HERE on our first blog, I had told you about Boo joining our family. Many of you know about how at first it was very touch and go with him. He had been abused by his previous owners. We don't know how much, but we're pretty sure they tried to make him the stereotype of mean pit bull. He was part pit bull, as well as black lab, and probably something else as well. Their abuse made him have an extreme hatred of black leather, even if he knew and liked the person wearing it. And we're pretty darn sure that their mistreatment of him, was the cause of his leg injuries.
     Sometimes after or during hard running, he'd be limping on the one leg, or even holding it up and hopping on the other three. The vet had diagnosed him as having severely pulled tendons in that leg. And from the feel of things and the way Boo responded, he'd had them since he was very young. Certain activities and or weather conditions, made them more prominent.
    And at one point in time, it went from just pulled tendons, to his having put his knee cap out. They were able to manually slip it back in place. He was just sore and on med's for awhile.
    But none of that had ever sunk Boo's spirit. He had so-o much personality! He cracked us up on a regular basis. In the past I've shared many of his tales with you. I will probably be sharing some more in the near future. Things that I had meant to post about, but hadn't yet.... My mind keeps remembering them. My heart aces for more of them.
    Later, Brent filled us in on more of what had happened. The night before, they had taken the dogs to a park. Boo had happily started to run. But he only made it about ten feet before he pulled up totally lame and whining in pain. They went back home. The next morning they were all sitting on the couch, Boo across Brent's lap. Kayla said he was wearing the saddest of faces and his eyes showed how much pain he was in, so she had bent forward and teased him about it. He snapped at her. Brent said he figured it was like a "leave me alone" thing, but he'd never allowed it before and he wasn't going to start allowing it now, so he had swatted him and told him to get down. Boo had jumped down and started towards their bedroom. Brent figured he was headed to the safety and softness of their bed. Suddenly, while crossing the linoleum of their kitchen floor, it was like he tripped and went down. And he started crying in pain.
     They loaded him up and took him to the Humane Society. The place that Brent originally adopted him from. The vet wasn't open on a Sat. morning. The doctor there could tell by feel, that Boo's hip was badly broke. They could do surgery and hope things came out okay. But they didn't know what all they'd find once they got in there, what with Boo's previous other leg problems. And after surgery, he'd need to be kept completely off the leg for a bit, what with the previously injured tendons and all. And probably need physical therapy. A-n-d... There were too many 'if's'.
     For awhile now, we'd known Boo's leg injury (injuries?) were really hurting him. We could see it in his eyes. Oh sometimes there would still be ever so much love shining forth out of them, or even laughter, but way too often they looked like this -

                                          See the pain in them?

     Boo no longer feels pain. But man does my heart feel it. Yes, technically Boo was Brent's dog. And Boo never forgot who it was that had rescued him. He HATED it when somebody, especially Brent, took his collar off. He would get so sad looking, and keep pawing at you wanting it back on. To him, it seemed to symbolize that he belonged to us. 
    But he also seemed to remember who it was that had loved him into being a real family member. Sometimes even after they had been here a couple of hours and we had long since done all of our welcoming greetings, he'd climb back up on me and fervently kiss me, and press his forehead hard against mine, and sometimes even wrap his paws around my shoulders while laying his head beside mine. Hugs! Oh Lord, I want another Boo hug!
     Boo hadn't come to us as an innocent puppy, who automatically gives you unconditional love. We had both earned the others love. As he had with the rest of the family. And love him we did! And still do! And he loved us through and through.
     These are the last pictures we had taken off him. Brent, Kayla and I sitting on the couch with Boo and Daisy on top.
     In this one, Kayla had just given Daisy a kiss, Boo didn't want left out ;->

          All of us on the couch -

            Boo getting a kiss from Brent -

              (the darkness under my eyes, show that my vertigo symptoms were high right then.)

            Brent and Boo - in love till the end!

    I mentioned my vertigo. I had always hoped that I would get over this darn stuff and be able to dance with Boo again. We both use to enjoy that so-o-o much. Or wrestle with a rope. Or....  I  STILL  WANT  TO!!! 

    Miss Analyse sure is gonna miss him when she gets back here next week....

     Big sigh.... deep breath ....

   Yes, I have been thanking the Lord that he allowed us the blessing of our Boo in our lives. Blessed indeed! He added a lot of joy, laughter and LOVE to our little family!!!