LEVI

This past Tuesday, Scott and I had to do one of the hardest things in our lives. Our 13-year-old cocker spaniel, Levi, that we had had since July 1995, took a turn for the worst and we had to make that dreadful decision. Friends and family had told me how hard it was to do...but until your are in those shoes, you will never understand the emotion it brings on. I myself was feeling very guilty because since the birth of our children, the dogs were put way on the back burner. They were more of a burden to me than a pet...and there were many times that I wish they were not here (and I told them that!) I knew that Levi was aware that he was loved but it just pulled at my heart that I wasn't nicer to him over the last 5 1/2 years. We have so many fond memories of Levi....like the day of our wedding when he was just a little pup. Scott accidentally stepped on him and flattened out his butt....well Scott was so frantic that he had displaced the poor dogs hip...but told him, "I don't have time for this now, Levi". (luckily there was nothing wrong with him)Or the time when my brother was going to YTI and stopped over at our house for lunch with Scott. Scott had made pork chops...and sneaky Levi (who always tried his hardest to find and get food)....stuck his snout up to grab the pork chop just as Scott went to stop him...and out flew the meat right on the table and Levi was standing there with the bone in his mouth. The time when Scott and I left him out of his crate in our old house after I had just gone through the magazines to recycle...and returned a few hours later to a ticker tape parade in our upstairs hallway....there was TONS of shredded paper every where! Most recently, after we moved in to our new house...and the house two doors down was being build..and it was extremely muddy and Levi decided to go check it out....mind you, he was white....he didn't return white (Scott took care of that one). There are plenty of other stories..but I do not want to bore you. I would like to try and find some of the puppy pictures..(but back in '95 I didn't have a digital camera...and never got the pictures in albums...so I am going to have to do some searching) to post....He was our first pet together and it is hard to believe he is gone. The kids are doing fairly well understanding that he has gone to Doggy Heaven...Hayley told her daddy, "You won't have to pick up as much poop anymore, and we won't go through as much dog food!!" (she is something else) Brayden doesn't quite get it...in one sentence he tells me that his doggy died and went to heaven and then a few minutes later he asks me if he is going to be better tomorrow. I did get a really good book at the Library called Dog Heaven that is very kid friendly at explaining the death of a pet.

So Levi, WE MISS YOU!! We know you have plenty of friends up there to play with....(Whitney, Maggie, and Tobee)..Hope you are having fun eating all the treats you want and sleeping in the clouds! You will never be forgotten