New Family Member!

One of these handsome gentlemen is ours as of September 7th. The breeder will match the puppy's personality with the personality of the new owners--us. I can hardly wait to bring him home and fill the complete void left by Henry's absence.

Now all 5 of us need to agree on a name! No small feat I am learning.

Oregon Summer

This was the summer of Oregon for me. I spent three very short days with my girls from college in Portland. Lots of catching up, yummy food, yummy drinks and many laughs. Why can't we live closer to each other?

















And this past week we were fortunate enough to pull off a spontaneous family vacation between Scott's jobs and headed south...very far south...to Sunriver. Loved it! I have to say this might have been the best, or at least the most happy and relaxed, family vacation to date. Biking and swimming were a highlight for the boys. Canoeing the Deschutes River was pristine and calming for me and Scott. I know we'll be back.

HENRY

Henry was born May 12, 1998 in Idaho. His breeder's daughter lived in Everett, put an ad in the paper for black lab puppies, and we went to meet pick out a new companion for us and for Shelby who had started to slow down a bit at age 8. We picked Henry over his litter mates because he seemed calm and friendly when we first met him. When we brought him home, he WAS calm and friendly, and stubborn. This little 6 week bundle of black fur thought that HE was the Alpha of the family. We had to show him that that wasn't the case, and he eventually came around. He adored Shelby and always wanted to kiss her, but she didn't have any interest in this young pest.

Henry was a handsome and strong boy that was always up for anything. He just wanted to be part of our pack and go anywhere we went. He was so loyal to our family and not really interested in strangers who stopped to pet him. We often attributed this to the fact we were able to bring him home at 6 weeks. He was so bonded to us from such a young age. He was very tuned into my emotions. When I was happy, he would be right beside me, often jumping up next to me trying to be part of the excitement. He loved it when I danced. When I was mad and frustrated, he would take himself to his mat. And when I was sad, he would come and place his head on my lap and look up at me with the most beautiful brown eyes as if to say "everything is going to be alright."

He loved to retrieve, especially in the water, and we often thought he might swim himself to his end if we let him. His favorite place in the world was the beach at the beach house. He loved to retrieve his tennis ball over and over as well as dig a hole in the sand to drop it in. He loved the smells of all things dead and alive on the beach and would taste almost anything just once. Henry's biggest downfall was that he was such a garbage eater. I never got used to that. He also loved to lick the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I never liked that either.

Henry had the circadian rhythm thing down when it came to his meals. Dinner never deviated from 5 pm. He started to get agitated around 4:00 and wanted to make sure we knew exactly what time it was.

Henry was my constant work-out companion. He was always up for a walk or run. He even went for a 3 mile walk the morning he died, only 4 hours before we had to put him to sleep. I couldn't wrap my brain around that. How could I have walked him in the morning, and by 10 am he was gone? He was so handsome until the very end. He stayed black, never really greying or turning white like so many older dogs. His personality and handsomeness made him seem like he was years from aging. Perhaps that is why his death was so hard.

Henry was a great watch dog and I always felt like he had the pulse on what was going on in the neighborhood. No-one could approach the house without his knowledge. He was our alarm, as well as our exuberant greeter. He greeted me however with love and affection. He was my true buddy.

Henry, we all miss you. We all love you. We can't believe you are not here.

Take care sweet boy.

Henry is Missed

Bed check 5 minutes ago:

Goodbye Henry

I can't believe I'm writing this, and I know I can't write anymore at this point. We had to say goodbye to our dear Henry this morning very unexpectedly. He started to loose control of his legs on Wednesday, and by today he was having non-stop seizures that the vet could not control with medicine. Their professional opinion: a large brain tumor was causing his problems. Prognosis was poor. He was miserable. We didn't want him to suffer. He was fine on Tuesday, and by Friday morning he was gone. I miss him terribly. We all do. Thomas hasn't stopped crying or talking about Henry all day. His first real loss. This sucks.