I miss my dog...

Well, I haven't been on my blog in a couple weeks and this usually means a lot has been going on and this time is no exception.  During the last couple weeks our family has been busy with sports, school activities and home projects.  Throw in a holiday, a husband out of town and the loss of a family pet and mix it all up, you get a  mom on auto pilot with a heavy heart with no time to blog.

So 16 years ago, when I was a poor collage student working at Ryan's Family Steak House, I came across a lady in parking lot giving away puppies out of the trunk of her car.  One little black and brown puppy with floppy ears caught my eye.  Now again, I was poor and already had one dog I had adopted from my parents and a cat and living with a friend in a little tiny duplex apartment.  Yes, I am an animal lover to the core.  I had no business looking at these puppies, but I drove away with that little girl puppy I named "Dallas".  She and my other dog "Madison" were my best buds all through college.  I would take them to the beach, take them with me when I taught drums, and would not move anywhere that I could not have my girls!

They moved to Texas with me and lived in every apartment, trailer, and house that I had as I started my career and figured out where I was going in life.  Through thick and thin, they were there, my best friends Madison and Dallas.  When I met and  later married  Lonnie, they excepted him and even let him take their spot in the bed.  Now that is love.  They were there when I had my 3 sons and were so loving and patient with every tail pull and slobbery baby kiss.  Lonnie would laugh so much when I would play hide-n-seek with the boys because no matter where I hid, my dogs would follow me and sit right there giving me away.  That sums it all up, they would follow me anywhere...my loyal friends.

So three years ago I lost Madison after a long battle with kidney and heart problems.  I was devastated to say the least.  She was 15 years old and had been there through it all with me.  Her loss hit me harder then I expected but I still had my Dallas to hug on.

Once I got used to having just one dog, we gave into the boys requests and got them a puppy.  After-all, Dallas and Madison only gave the boys attention if they had food.  So in walked Marshall the dalmatian.

Marshall brought out the puppy in Dallas and they spent countless hours playing.  In fact, Dallas played with Marshall in the backyard the last day before she got sick.  I was blessed to look out the window and catch them in the yard playing.  I smile when I close my eyes and relive that memory in my head.

So, last week I had to say goodbye to my Dallas.  She was never in pain but we found out too late that she had a brain tumor.  I had 16 awesome loyal years with her and I will miss her dearly.  I don't know if I will ever have a dog that was as attached to me as my Madison and Dallas but if I never do, it's OK.  I have been blessed.

The boys had lots of questions about the loss of Dallas that I somehow made it through.  Lonnie was out of town so it was a rough week by myself.  I noticed my boys giving me lots of hugs to make me feel better.  Those boys may be a crazy bunch but they can tell when their momma is feelin' blue.  They are so sweet...when they want to be. lol

But, please don't be mislead and assume my house is quiet with one dog missing.  We still have Marshall the dalmatian, the cat Riley, my brothers 100lb "puppy" and "Pops" the stray geriatric Chihuahua.  Pops is a whole other blog post all together.  I will leave you with this shot of "Pops" (who is sitting in my lap s I type this) to make you smile. lol