On this day one year ago I lost my best friend, my sidekick, my velcro dog....

Tucker was one of those one in a million dogs. He came to us December 2011 when he was about a year old. A good friend of mine, Julie, had intercepted Tucker's owner taking him to a high kill shelter in the Bay Area, CA. At the time Julie was a deputy sheriff with a local agency and had just suffered a back injury on the job so she needed a short term foster for Tucker.

Of course we said yes and what was one more dog to add to our current pack of four. So Tucker arrives to our house and decides he doesn't want anything to do with me, nope, ain't gonna happen. I think great, this is going to be a very long short term foster.

Well, after about a week he decided I was his person and that was the end of his fostering.

The winter of 2017 Tucker was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Disease and we maintained it with meds and diet. Fast forward to February 2023 and Tucker goes into liver failure. We rushed him to the ER and spent two nights in ICU. The first thing out of the attending vet the first night was that we should consider euthanasia. That wasn't going to happen if he had a chance. After the ER visit and a month of therapies he recovered, but the ER visit and all the stress put Tucker in to congestive heart failure.

He was stable up until October 2023 and we knew his time with us was coming to an end. I had dreaded "the day" when we first learned he had MVD. On November 21st at 4:45AM Tucker took his last breath in my arms.

Needless to say I was beyond heartbroken. I could have never imagined I could love a dog so much.

Tucker was an amazing dog and always put a smile on anyone he encountered. He was a Brussels Griffon and they are known for their human like facial expressions and for being a Velcro dog. HE was my constant shadow for 12 years and to this day I still have not gotten used to him not being here next to me.

2023 was a very tough year for my wife and I. On May 10th 2023 we had to let our 19 year old Norfolk Terrier, Riley, go after complications with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. That loss was also very heartbreaking for me as Riley was "my dog" and I had him for 18 years. He lived a great life. Then on November 7th we lost our little Maltese mix Max at the age of 18 to sudden onset of kidney failure. Max was my wife's and we had him for 17 years.

I have to say that all the loss has changed us forever. We never had any children so our focus was on our dogs. We still have one dog, Finnegan. He is almost 16 and is fairly healthy. But there is still a silence in our house.

Thank you all for listening....

Tucker


Riley


Max

Thanks for sharing. I hope you are able to merge paths with more friends!

But, Lucky dogs, one and all to have you.

I lost my Coco 13 years ago. I still miss her so much.
I got Cici to fill a a big hole. Cici is wonderful but not Coco.

I feel for you, hapevo. It's almost three years since my black lab crossed the bridge, and 17 since my lab/chow/husky went.

I miss them... individually, collectively, similarly, and differently.

I'm not ready to get another yet. I'm mighty glad I can reach over the fence and wool on my neighbor's dog some, though.

So sorry for your loss it’s unbearably heartbreaking.

Right now we have one small dog that I didn’t really want (never liked small dogs) but let my wife talk me into it because she’s never had a dog. This dog has been the most incredible dog I have ever owned and has completely changed my mind about small dogs. I will be devastated when that day comes.

Lost my 9 year old yellow Lab rescue, Sadie to severe colitis a year ago Nov. 15th. Had her transported all the way from a impound outside Houston, to Spokane where I picked her up and brought her to her forever home in Mt. What a lucky find she was, and she helped me through some very tough times during 4-foot surgeries. I miss that old girl every single day.

dogs are the best.

Beautiful dogs. You were lucky to have each other. I’m sure you gave them a great life.

Sorry for your loss. It’s a helluva thing to lose a dog. A dog’s love is perfect. A dog loves you but doesn’t judge you. Put T-bird down, October was a year ago. Still miss her.

We have had six Scotties during our marriage and four of them have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Our current two are still young. We cherish the ones we have, cherish the memories of the four no longer with us, and constantly thank God for giving us the joys of canine companionship.

Bless you for being great dog parents.