Tucker


13 comments
I'm getting really, really tired of saying goodbye.  

This morning was a normal morning.  Everything was going just as it always does.  My mom stayed with us last night, so she was helping me get out the door this morning.  She let our little dog, Tucker, out for me.  As she went to let him back in, she opened the door to hear him yelping.  He had been hit by a car.  Tucker has never/would never walk(ed) on a leash.  When you put it on him, he would freeze...not move at all.  When we moved into this house, we were worried that this would happen.  We had considered a shock collar.  We have an invisible fence for Gracie, but she is bigger and can handle the collar.  I was afraid that with Tucker being so little, the collar just wouldn't be good for him. Plus, it's likely he wouldn't have moved with it on either.  So, we knew we would just have to take our chances.  Most of the time, he was good about not going across the road, but others....he was a typical dog.  He liked to explore...especially if he caught the scent of another dog.  This time, he wasn't so lucky as the other times he dodged cars.  

Obviously, we feel terrible.  We feel like we should have done something to prevent it from happening.  But - he wouldn't go in the backyard because Gracie is there.  And as I said...no leash...and the collar seemed to extreme for such a little dog.  

When I realized what happened, I ran out as quickly as I could.  My mom managed to get him off the road, and I covered him with a towel.  He was able to move himself with his front legs, and as soon as I got to him, he scooted himself right underneath me and rested his head on my leg.  He could not get close enough to me.  He just looked at me with those big brown eyes....as if to say, "Please don't leave me. I'm so scared."  At that point, he was quiet and breathing heavily.  I had already called Jeremy and told him to get home.  I stayed with Tucker until Jeremy got there.  My mom got his kennel and he got himself into it with very little help from me.  He has always been such a tough, strong little guy.

I decided to take Collen and Charlotte to their babysitter's house.  Collen was asleep through it all, so he had no idea what had happened.  I preferred to keep it that way, too.  Once I got to the emergency vet, the vet explained that his injuries were extensive.  He said he could possibly go in and do repairs, but it would mean numerous surgeries and a lot of money.....and Tucker would probably never have use of his back legs.  We knew that his quality of life would be miserable if we took that route, so we made the very difficult decision to have him put to sleep.  I don't know how many times I told Tucker I was so, so sorry that this happened to him.  I know these things happen, but when they happen to you.....it's just awful.  This was my first experience with seeing the aftermath of a dog being hit...one of my dogs...and it honestly traumatized me a bit.  He was so brave, and he stayed so calm.  I don't know what to believe about pets/animals and heaven, but I know they are mentioned in Isaiah in an image of Heaven.  If he is there, my dad has his best buddy back with him.  Tucker and my dad shared such a bond.  Tucker loved visiting my parents' house because he loved my dad. Even after my dad passed away, I could tell that Tucker wondered about him....he would look for him and could always be found in daddy's room.

Jeremy and I got Tucker in 2006.  He was born July 2, 2006, and we got him as a little puppy. He has always been such a loving dog (with us).  He was very leery of strangers or people he didn't know well.  He has been known to nip at people.  He never knew he was so small....because his bark was so big.  He saw himself as our protector, and when Collen was born, he took on being Collen's protector as well.  We were worried that Tucker would not do well with Collen because he normally did not do well with kids.  However, he took to Collen quickly.  He liked to watch him and smell him and give him kisses.  As Collen got older, Tucker would eat any food Collen dropped on the floor.  And just recently, Tucker began giving Collen hugs....and Collen would gladly return those hugs.

We are going to miss our little buddy so much.  He was the best snuggler....you could always find him snuggled under a blanket, especially if one of us was using one...he'd come running to get under it with you.  He loved a ball and would chase it as long as you threw it for him.  He would give hugs on demand and was so eager to please us.  He listened well and obeyed us as a dog should.  The unconditional love of a pet is truly amazing, and it creates a bond that is not easily broken.  And when it is broken by something like this, it breaks the heart in ways you never knew possible.  Is this loss comparable to others?  No...but no loss can compare to another.  Loss is loss...and it hurts.

Collen has only asked where Tucker's bowls are since he noticed they are missing.  He has not asked about Tucker, though.  We don't plan on telling him anything unless he does ask.  At 2, I know he won't understand, so in this case, ignorance in bliss.  Please pray for us as we try to get back to another "new normal" without our little guy.  Gracie has been a light today, and I've given her so many hugs.  She's the only fur-baby we have left.  Collen and Charlotte have kept us busy and made us smile and laugh.  I will continue to count my blessings....our family is healthy....our kids are with us....we are being provided for.  Things like this rock your world and knock you down for a little bit, but the memories will remain, and Mr. Tucker will never be forgotten.



 snuggled up with me

 Letting Collen hug him

I'm going to miss his cute, sweet face

 And this little boy will miss his buddy....


Love and miss you, Tucker...my sweet companion.

13 comments:

  1. Another heart breaking loss for you. I am so sorry for your sorrow. We love our pets, they offer so much unconditional love, I want to believe that love is eternal,that we will be reunited with our beloved pet loves.

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  2. I have followed your blog for some time and my heart breaks for you. On the loss of your son and your father. I cannot imagine and I pray for you often.

    I did loose my sweet Boston Terrier in October, in this same way. She NEVER runs off, but we were in a strange place, and she did. It still hurts so badly. After losing her, I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child. BUT, pets are like our children also. So, I know these next few days are going to be horrible for you. And I am sooo soo sorry. Yes, I do believe our animals are in heaven.

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  3. I have been reading your blog for quite some time. I pray for you often, for the loss of Ayden and your father. I can't help but to think about you/pray for you often, especially when I am putting my children to bed.

    Although I cannot comprehend the loss of a child or father, we did lose our precious Boston Terrier in this same way in October. It is horrible. My heart still hurts. I still cry about it. Pets are our children. And yes, they are in heaven waiting for us!

    So, I will continue to pray for you and I am so sorry you have had to endure such pain.

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  4. I am so sorry, my heart aches for you tonight. =(

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  5. I am so sorry to hear about Tucker. Sending you my love and best wishes from across the ocean.
    An English Grandma xx

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  6. I'm so sorry about Tucker. :( My grandparent's dog was hit by a car last year and it's so hard.

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  7. i'm so so sorry. our beloved fur baby died shortly after we our kelsey went to be with Jesus, it was so hard on all of us... we still miss him terribly. (((((hugs)))))

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  8. My heart breaks for you, Lindsay. I'm so sorry about your precious doggy. It's great you captured so many wonderful pics of Tucker. A loss is still a loss no matter what kind it is, so make sure you take time to grieve. We lost our beloved dog to a freak accident when she was 1.5, so I understand your pain. Know that others care about you and your precious family even though we've never met you.

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  9. I am so very sorry. My heart breaks with you. I love my animals so very much and am always devastated when I lose one. It is amazing how much comfort they can bring into our lives. Praying for peace!!

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  10. I am so sorry about Tucker. That is so sad!! I believe animals go to Heaven, they mean so much to us down here and they're such great examples of God's love- loyal, loving, etc...
    Maybe Ayden wanted a dog and your dad told him how wonderful Tucker is so God let him have Tucker.
    I know it's hard, I'm so sorry. Praying for you!!
    Kelley

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  11. I am so sorry....many, many hugs. I hate that you had to say goodbye yet again. I believe dogs to be like children...my two are wonderful for different reasons. My older dog, Roxie, was my rock through our bout with infertility, and my almost three year old dog was my gift after Aubree died. He was the reason I got out of bed..I get it. Take care...

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  12. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm a huge dog lover and have two. It also makes me sad the he was not on a leash or a fenced in area. We have a little 6 pound yorkie that hated the leash. We had to train her to like it, work with her to keep her out of danger, just like I do with my children to keep them safe. So sad.

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  13. @Tracy - I get what you're saying. But he was our dog, and we had had him for almost 7 years. We knew him best. We worked with him daily as a puppy on the leash. Same reaction. He wouldn't budge. We tried treats. We tried positive reinforcement. He would not respond. We had a fenced in backyard until a storm blew it over. Our big dog is in the backyard and uses an invisible fence. As he was a small dog, he didn't like to be around our bigger dog, so he didn't go into the backyard. When he went out in the front, we kept a close eye on him. He knew not to go in the road, and most of the time he wouldn't because he aimed to please us. If he did, we called him back and he came right back. However, as most dogs do, he liked to explore and wander at times. We did everything we could to keep Tucker safe. We couldn't help that he would not walk on a leash. We didn't want to use a shock collar on an already nervous dog...and being so small I worried that it could affect him physiologically. Normally, I would ignore a post laced with an implication, but this I could not ignore. It was a tragic accident, yes. I wish to God that he had let me put him on a leash. I wish we had a fenced in yard he could go into. I wish he hadn't gone across the street. I wish that car had been 1 second later in leaving that day. I can't change any of it, and I think those who know me know that if I could change it, I would in a heart beat. Tucker was with us through the most difficult times of our lives....we never took that for granted...and we never took him for granted. We're already hurting enough...please don't add to it with a comment implying that it was our fault. Don't think I haven't beaten myself up over it....

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