In July 2007, Kathy and I realized that our dogs Moose and Auggie were getting old, and that one would die within five years. We didn't want the survivor to be alone, and we also felt that any new dogs we get should be shown the local ropes by the old hands. Lastly, we figured that we should get a new dog while Auggie and Moose were young enough to keep the new pup in her place. So we decided that it was time to get a new dog.
We had pretty clear specifications: at least 60 pounds adult weight; short hair to easily shed burrs, which are dense in these parts; good intelligence and gentle manners. We went to the animal shelter to see if they had any dogs that met our specifications. We found six dogs there that met our requirements. We could have taken any one of those dogs and been quite happy, so the choice was a difficult one. We settled on Pookey because she seemed to be the most affectionate.
high energy dogs need high energy fuel
the flying dog
the Kissy Monster
Pookie Playing With Auggie and Moose
Pookie in the snow
Pookie and Chris
Pookie Digging for squirrels and waiting for her dinner
Pookie Snoozing and with Auggie and Molly
Last Days
Pookie slept on the bed with the tan blanket; I slept on the mattress with the red blanket so that I could tend to her needs at night.
On the right is Pookie just a few days before she died.
Left: Pookie couldn’t walk, so I had to carry Pookie outside so that she could pee and poop.
Right: Pookie the day before she died with her buddy Bartholomew.
Pookie started showing her age in December of 2020. She had severe arthritis, but we helped her as best we could. Since she couldn’t bend down to eat her food, we built a special stand for her dish so that she could eat standing up. She had increasing difficulties moving around; I dug her grave in May, 2021 because we thought she would die soon, but she hung in there, losing mobility but otherwise healthy. In August she started to suffer from constipation. We gave her enemas, but she began to lose her appetite. She stopped eating on August 10th and by August 12th we knew she was at the end of her rope, so we took her to be euthanized. I cried and cried. We buried her in the pet cemetery.