Sweet Gunny

The above pictured dog is Gunner.  We lost him this year and, as usual, it broke our hearts.

Gunner wasn't my dog; he belonged to my daughter and her husband. Her husband, Kevin, rescued him from a shelter. (MAJOR kudos for that!!) But like any dog this family has, he belonged to all of us.  He was the first dog to be added to our family before (meaning he added to the family first and all the other son-in-laws and pups came later) and he was joined later with two "cousins" with whom he loved to play keep-away and wrestle.

Gunner was a mix of coon hound and boxer - he used his front paws part of the time, his tail most of the time, and his nose ALL of the time! He would go into hyper-dog mode and no other dog could catch him; he was so fast! He was also a cuddler - one of his sweetest traits.  

He was definitely hurting when my daughter had her first child.  He was the center of attention when anyone visited - he brought you his toy and pawed at it for you to play and if you didn't he would sit on you or stand on your feet. A little demanding but we indulged it! So it's no surprise that a baby rocked his world. Often he would get between us and the child - not for safety but for attention. We used to belong to him!  Of course time changed that and Gunner managed to tolerate his "little brother", Clyde. They had their games they'd play and it was all good....until Lena came along.

 Then things got really sticky - one was bad enough, but two?  (His facial expressions were so telling!)  He loved those kids but he really wished they'd not get all the attention.  Gunner gave up on being the center of attention except with me and my husband.  We were his first!  And he made that known - he's about knock the kids out of the way when we walked in the door.  And I loved him for that - he was my "other" dog after mine passed and, as a dog lover, I needed that from him.  And I think he knew it. We had a connection for sure!

  When Meg and Kevin bought a new house that butts up to a big woods, I worried about him a little.  I was afraid his nose would get the better of him and he'd run off.  He didn't, but he sure had that nose going out there! It kept him busy and it kept him happy. SO many good smells - turkey, deer, raccoon, squirrels, and so on. He was a happy guy!

 But he was also getting older.  He slept more and zoomed around less. He gave up seeking attention so insistently (but not from me).  And then he got sick. And he wasn't getting better.

                                  Our hearts were breaking as he dwindled in size and spirit.
       Eventually it became obvious that it was time to end his suffering.  He tried so hard to keep his tail going for us, to greet us as we walked into the house, to tell us that he still loved us.

  I have lost many people and while it has always been hard, we, as humans, have the ability to say words which can convey our feelings, thought, hopes, and dreams.  We don't get that luxury with dogs (or cats, horses, and other pets).   We can only hope that we are doing the right thing, the best thing, the most humane thing.  Megan and Kevin did their best for Gunner.They did the right thing and the humane thing.  Yes, I am sad he is gone, but I love that I got to have him in my life for a time. As always, "he was the best dog ever"!
                                                                Rest in Peace sweet Gunny! XOXO