Saturday, July 23, 2016

My Old Friend

I want to share with you our memories of the day our sweet almost 10 year old Rough Collie crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  There was never enough time, but this final day was all about Lukey.



I'm at a loss for how to begin this post.  Let's start with Lukey's Top 10, counting down Letterman style.  Some of these he couldn't enjoy for the last few years of his life, but I'm including them anyway!

10. Fetch, Lukey style - It's been at least five years since Lukey has played fetch BUT....this was his favourite game as a puppy.  My boy was stubborn and liked to do things his way so our version of the game was this: human throws the object, then puppy runs and grabs it.  Human says come here puppy...puppy runs away and a game of catch Lukey ensues....oh wonderful memories!

9.  Benefuls - Cue the head tilt with this word! Lukey loved Benefuls with a passion.  

8.  The park - again cue the head tilt! Any park, Lukey didn't care!

7.  Expressive sounds - Collies are known for their unique expressions and Lukey was no exception.  Barking, moaning, groaning, crying...he did it all.  He particularly hated it when people danced in his house!

6.  Visiting his Nanna, Poppa and London the beagle - all the love and all the food is how Lukey would likely describe his time with them, and his sleepovers with them.  Thank you for all the joy.  





5.  Other dogs - were most frequently the cause of his cries and moans, my dramatic big boy.  His cousins London and Gilbert will miss his calming presence I know.

4.  Walks - cue the head tilt once again! Any walk, any length, any speed, anywhere.  LOVE.  

3.  Cheese - Cue the biggest head tilt! All we had to do was touch the wrapper in the fridge and Lukey would appear.  Cheese was his big love, in every form possible - even as pill camouflage in his last days!


2.  Butt Rubs - Any visitor to our house would be quickly offered Lukey's hindquarters, and pushed against until they complied.  I am sure we spent many hours in total rubbing those huge butt cheeks :)

1.  Being close to his humans.  Especially me.  Lukey was my shadow, and a large shadow in a small house.  I wish I could trip over him again.  Here we are in his final hours.  We sat here all afternoon, right up until the vet pulled into our driveway.




On July 4th 2016 I lost my forever friend, but I like to think that his final day was a good one.  Here's how it went...

Lukey got a homestyle breakfast served to him by the kids.  Bacon, egg and toast and he ate the whole works with us sitting beside him.



Then we all got ready for the day ahead, and took our mopey selves outside to where Lukey loved to sit in our yard and watch all the comings and goings.  We were expecting some special visitors, and just wanted to focus completely on Lukey and sharing our love with him.  First, we did a small brushing, and then a sugar cookie cologne for good measure :)



Then the loving began.  There is something so pure about the love of a dog, I know it has been written about and sung about but there is genuinely nothing more loyal , steady hearted, or loving than a dog like Lukey.


Then lunch! A picnic!





And more loving...



Earlier in the day we asked Lukey if he wanted to go for a walk, but he was too uncomfortable to stand up.  As the day progressed, we asked again and this time he got up and we went less than halfway up our street before he was ready to turn around.  He got his final leg of the walk from Jake.  Oh, my heart.  I hope you are running through the fields of heaven now Lukey, leaping and free from pain.  I hope you are with Nugget and Loppy too.  








Then two of Lukey's favourite people came to visit.  And to hug and kiss.  The kids went with Nanna and Poppa while Jon and I hung out on the lawn and waiting for the compassionate care vet.  







Then the vet came.  And we said goodbye in the most peaceful way imaginable, in our backyard and cuddled with Lukey on the grass.  I hope you are happy my sweet boy.  There will never be another like you.


Today I said goodbye to my old friend
I pray some day we get to meet again
Under one more clear, blue sky
Up there where the eagles fly
And we'll go walking in the sunshine
With a big smile on our face
Race the river to the ocean
Go splashing in the waves
And I'll wrap my arms around you
We'll be together once again
And I'll tell you how much I've missed you
My old friend
Yeah, I know you're up there looking down
On that rainbow bridge we talked about
There's a place for me and you
Somewhere up there behind the moon
- Johnny Reid                              

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

To Toronto we will go!

About two weeks ago Jake was given the go ahead to have a referral made to Sick Kids for his Fontan open heart surgery.  This meant two things had happened --- he had almost reached his goal weight of 15kg (weighed in at 14 kg on that day!), and he was showing symptoms of decline in his energy levels, oxygen levels, increased blueness, sleeping more, and so on.  So, it's time...time to wait for a heart cath date, after which we'll get the surgery date.  Cue the stress...

But, thanks to some pretty amazing people....we are not cueing the financial stress.  There is no better gift to give the parent of child with a chronic illness than peace of mind and the ability to focus entirely on the needs of their child without being stressed about how they are paying for the flights, the place to stay, any supplies needed for the child's care, and so on... On that note.... I have a few THANK YOU'S to say...

Members of our church organized a Family Movie Night Fundraiser for Jake.  They showed the movie The Incredibles in honour of our Superbaby.  Dominion Stavanger Drive donated the food/drinks/candy thanks to John.  Michelle and Elizabeth pulled this amazing night together so fast --- it was a lovely wednesday night out for those who came, and a night of amazement for myself and Jon as we watched a church full of people pour out their love for Jake and support for us.  There are so many people to thank, from the silent auction donors, to those who baked goodies, those who volunteered their time to help out, and so on.  A shout out to the CBS Corps who raised $1000 for Jake.  Incredible.  So much love.  Some day we hope to be able to give back in the way we have been blessed.  Here are some highlights from the night!

 Check out the crowd for the movie!



Jake approved of the movie selection!




Half the Heart, Twice the Fight!




Georgia and some friends :)  



 Popcorn and Candy anyone???






The Silent Auction is going on....





These two ladies have the kindest hearts - thank you Elizabeth and Michelle!!!



My unborn niece was there too! Love you little Sis!








Our three hooligans - all on Team Jake!


Team Jake! We love you bud.


I'll do another post next week with some of the goings on in our lives, including the loss of our sweetest dog Lukey as well as a description of the upcoming surgery and why Jake needs it!

Ending today with the most thankful heart.  So filled.  Thank you all.