Saying Goodbye
I had to do one of the hardest things in my life over Thanksgiving break....say goodbye to my dog Indy. I've never had a dog die on me. The two dogs I grew up with I didn't get to see them pass on. One was stolen and the other ran away. I told you I would blog about Indy, but I had no idea he wouldn't be here when I did. He was a beautiful dog. The most beautiful dog I've ever known. He was sweet to the girls and never complained when they were younger and didn't understand you couldn't pull a dog's tail. Here's A#1 above and below with Indy. 
Indy was very protective of the girls when they were young. If they tried to crawl up the stairs, he would sit right in front of them on one of the steps and try to prevent them from going up. When someone would come to babysit, he would follow the person around and watch their every move. However, the first night we brought A#1 home, we were up more with Indy throwing up with nervousness than we were with A#1. He wasn't sure what to think of this baby we brought home. 
Indy was the best companion you could ever have. He followed us around everywhere in the house. He was a house dog and hardly ever had an accident. He was potty trained in 2 weeks and passed my mother in law's obedience class with flying colors. Steven even got to do some agility with him when he was younger.
He always posed for the camera. It's like he knew what to do when someone was taking his picture. Indy's breed is very rare. He is a Belgian Tervuren. Many people think he is a wolf or border collie. Not so. We got him from a breeder in Oklahoma who loves these kind of dogs and spends her life competing and breeding these dogs. She is very protective of the breed. Her husband is a vet so all the dogs have a live in doctor. They also have 6 children and she homeschools all of them. When a Belgian Tervuren puppy is born, each child is assigned to a certain puppy and is responsible for taking care of the puppy and training it. This is what Indy was exposed to when he was born. He got A LOT of tender loving care and was around a lot of kids which I think is why he was so good with mine. 
This is what Indy looked like when he as a puppy. In this photo the breeder's kids called him orange because of the orange collar. This is how they told all the puppies apart until the owner named him. I miss him so much! Indy died too young, but God called him home. Yes, I believe dogs go to heaven. It's been so hard to get up in the morning and not have him come over to the bed and tell me good morning. It's so hard to go outside to water the plants only to see his old tennis ball sitting on the patio. It's so hard to even eat dinner at the table and not have him there sitting pretty hoping to get some food or that the girls would drop something on the floor. I know in time my heart will heal. And some day we'll get another Belgian Tervuren and we will develop a special relationship with him, but I will always treasure Indy in my heart. He was a remarkable dog. So if you have a dog, I encourage you to spend all the time you can with him or her. Hug them more, take lots of walks, throw the ball a little longer and tresure each momment you have with them.
I had to do one of the hardest things in my life over Thanksgiving break....say goodbye to my dog Indy. I've never had a dog die on me. The two dogs I grew up with I didn't get to see them pass on. One was stolen and the other ran away. I told you I would blog about Indy, but I had no idea he wouldn't be here when I did. He was a beautiful dog. The most beautiful dog I've ever known. He was sweet to the girls and never complained when they were younger and didn't understand you couldn't pull a dog's tail. Here's A#1 above and below with Indy. 
Indy was very protective of the girls when they were young. If they tried to crawl up the stairs, he would sit right in front of them on one of the steps and try to prevent them from going up. When someone would come to babysit, he would follow the person around and watch their every move. However, the first night we brought A#1 home, we were up more with Indy throwing up with nervousness than we were with A#1. He wasn't sure what to think of this baby we brought home. 
Indy was the best companion you could ever have. He followed us around everywhere in the house. He was a house dog and hardly ever had an accident. He was potty trained in 2 weeks and passed my mother in law's obedience class with flying colors. Steven even got to do some agility with him when he was younger.
He always posed for the camera. It's like he knew what to do when someone was taking his picture. Indy's breed is very rare. He is a Belgian Tervuren. Many people think he is a wolf or border collie. Not so. We got him from a breeder in Oklahoma who loves these kind of dogs and spends her life competing and breeding these dogs. She is very protective of the breed. Her husband is a vet so all the dogs have a live in doctor. They also have 6 children and she homeschools all of them. When a Belgian Tervuren puppy is born, each child is assigned to a certain puppy and is responsible for taking care of the puppy and training it. This is what Indy was exposed to when he was born. He got A LOT of tender loving care and was around a lot of kids which I think is why he was so good with mine. 
This is what Indy looked like when he as a puppy. In this photo the breeder's kids called him orange because of the orange collar. This is how they told all the puppies apart until the owner named him. I miss him so much! Indy died too young, but God called him home. Yes, I believe dogs go to heaven. It's been so hard to get up in the morning and not have him come over to the bed and tell me good morning. It's so hard to go outside to water the plants only to see his old tennis ball sitting on the patio. It's so hard to even eat dinner at the table and not have him there sitting pretty hoping to get some food or that the girls would drop something on the floor. I know in time my heart will heal. And some day we'll get another Belgian Tervuren and we will develop a special relationship with him, but I will always treasure Indy in my heart. He was a remarkable dog. So if you have a dog, I encourage you to spend all the time you can with him or her. Hug them more, take lots of walks, throw the ball a little longer and tresure each momment you have with them.
2 comments:
Indy was a sweet pup. I'm so sorry for your loss.
I know how painful this is. I have a dog child that I love dearly, and have lost a dear pet before. The best advice I can give is find another dog to love soon. You will never have another Indy, but you will find one just as dear. I'm sending up a prayer for you and your family.
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