Rascal

Rascal -- January 24, 2002 - September 10, 2010
Rascal our little Buddy Boy died tonight. After being so sick those two weeks last month, he had gotten better and gained weight back...and seemed back to normal. Then a few days ago he got sick again and went downhill fast...till tonight he passed on.

After having a good day canning and getting a lot done it was a major let down this evening. He will be missed greatly by us all...even Autumn hasn't been acting herself since he was sick last time...hopefully she gets over his death.

I was doing ok after finding out he died, although sad and teary, till I remembered the last time he got excited when I opened the meat drawer in the fridge...he was starting to get sick again, but still feeling more himself, so started barking...then choked and couldn't any more. Remembering that, I lost it...and just downright cried...My little kitchen buddy is forever silent, and won't come running to spend time with me in the kitchen any more. *sob*

Below are some of the photos I've taken over the years of him.


Rascal was the cutest little thing...yes I think all our doxie's are, but as you can see from these photos, I'm not exaggerating...here he is as a baby, just trying to learn how to climb steps. (Autumn is of course the one behind him)


He loved to play, but unlike Mischief (the baby boy we had before him...why is it that our baby boys don't live as long as the girls?), he never got into playing with tennis balls, he preferred other kinds of toys...especially the squeak cloth toys.


When he was younger we couldn't stop him from jumping. After having trouble with Mischief having a bad back, we wanted to try to curb some of their gazelle like activities, but there was just no stopping him. He jumped pretty high and while it was neat seeing it, it also worried me. Thankfully he didn't hurt himself with all his rambunctious jumping around.


While Rascal loved me, his favorite person in the world was always Galen. He always loved spending time with him, and when Galen would go outside, Rascal would sit and watch for him...


...and sometimes he would have a good howl fest, because he wanted to go with him. It was always funny to hear...even Autumn would join in. (The above photo was the last photo I took of him...he was watching for "daddy" out the window.)


When we first got Autumn & Rascal, we still had Crystal, our little red Doxie who left us in 2006. Here they are siting in a sunbeam (which they seem to always love to do, even in the middle of a hot day), on one of our trips to the "cabin" at our farm. (The "cabin" is now Galen's shop) We were still traveling at the time, and so for the first several years of their lives, they didn't know what it was like to stay in one place for long. We of course always had home base, but hotels were their usual place to lay their heads. Even after a few years of not traveling much, when they would see their bed go out the door, they would get super excited cause they knew they were getting to go with us on a trip.

Since we now stay home mostly, the dogs have gotten used to a new routine...one of Rascal's daily "chores" was to sit out in the kitchen as my "kitchen buddy" and hope for a handout. He always got really excited if we had something with hamburger (his favorite food) and started barking at me, and dancing around so much that I just HAD to give him a couple pieces to shut him up. LOL Course by then Autumn would be there and get her share too.

Goodbye little kitchen buddy...We miss you.

Tribute to a Best Friend

Sunlight streams through window pane unto a spot on the floor....
Then I remember,
It's where you used to lie, but now you are no more.
Our feet walk down a hall of carpet, and muted echoes sound....
Then I remember,
It's where your paws would joyously abound.
A voice is heard along the road, and up beyond the hill,
Then I remember it can't be yours....
Your golden voice is still.
But I'll take that vacant spot of floor and empty muted hall
And lay them with the absent voice and unused dish along the wall.
I'll wrap these treasured memorials in a blanket of my love
And keep them for my best friend until we meet above.

Author Unknown