Remembering Boo

Little did I know when I posted the last entry that it would be the only entry of our little Baby Boo while she was alive. Our baby passed away September 4, 2007 - she was only six and a half months old.

We only got to enjoy Boo for 99 days, but in those 99 days, so much changed. I remember so vividly the day we went to the pet store. I remember the Petland sales person asking if we'd seen the "little white cocker in the window around the corner." I looked through the window and saw this adorable puppy jumping at the window just because we were looking at her - almost as if she had picked us out from everybody right from the start. We had the little white cocker come out and play with us and we laughed at her antics, she was so clumsy at the time. She would get so excited and run and fall flat on her face. I remember watching Jon hold her and she was so excited her little behind was squirming all around.

In some ways not a lot changed. She still got really excited when her daddy was around. He seemed to be the only person in her universe. When we took her home and showed her the yard, she was the bounciest little thing. Her little ears tripped her up many times as she would try running to us. We definitely were convinced that we had named her well - Sabbuku, changed only slightly from the Japanese word meaning "suicide bomber." She would run and not be able to stop herself from hitting into things really hard. I remember that she also had a cold when we first got her. Though, that didn't seem to stop her energy or her curiousity. She was always into something.

I'll be the first to admit, I struggled with having little responsibility to having a little baby dog and being her mommy. I know Jon thought that I was a horrible mommy, but I'd never been a mommy before and certainly not to a little rambunctious puppy. It was a learning experience for both Boo and me - I just wish the learning experience could have lasted a lot longer.

She always loved giving kisses and being the "wonderful" mommy, I usually didn't want them. When we traveled in the car with her on my lap, we would constantly be fighting. She would want to move all around on my lap or jump off my lap onto the floor only to come right back up. I just wanted her to sit still. If I would have known how little time we would have our baby, I would have let her kiss me until I was soaked and I wouldn't have scolded her for wanting to be a part of everything in the car.

Anyway... back to when we first got her. It was so amazing seeing her grow up. Within a couple of days of getting her she could go up the steps without us carrying her. It took a little longer for her to learn to go down. I remember the day she lost her first two baby teeth. Jon found the first one and brought it up to me in our room. I told her what a big girl she was getting to be and she had that cute little doggie smile on her face with her little stump wagging. We didn't have her long before she learned how to climb her gate in our house and then a couple of days later - how to escape from the yard. That was a scary experience.

Her little stump was always wagging, usually for Jon though. We tried to get her into a routine, so here it was: (I really don't know what schedule she was on during the day when Jon was home with her).

6 am - I let her outside to go to the bathroom
7:30 am - Jon fed her
4:15 pm - I let her outside to go to the bathroom
5 pm - I fed her
9:45 pm - bedtime

She learned so much in the short time we had her. Jon taught her to sit and wait for until he said "go get it" when it was mealtime. I attempted to teach her to sit other times (it didn't work too well). I did manage to teach her to go to her cage for bedtime and not to bark. She also learned things we didn't teach her like how to apologize when we'd scolded her or how to make us feel better when we were sad.

I don't remember how long we had her when I realized that the baby was afraid of the dark, so I'd leave a little light on for her so she wouldn't have to be afraid. She had so many things that made her so cute. She would poke her head at the top of the stairs into the living room to see if she could come down. She would through her Kong on the floor and lose it because it would bounce under the couch (I still don't know where it is from the last time she did this.) About a week or so before she died we decided to get her a toy that made noise. I found a little brown and red soft bone with a squeaker inside. When she put it in her mouth, it covered half her face. The first time she heard it squeak, she was afraid of it. In no time, she was squeaking the thing just for the fun of it, usually while I was trying to hear a movie.

We didn't have her long, but the memories sure do live on, it's hard to believe that our little one is gone. I miss her so much and I can't seem to stop crying. I know eventually I won't feel this badly, but in the meantime, it's horrible. She really was my baby, no matter how many times I got mad at her and told Jon that "if she didn't cost us so much, she'd be gone." I knew we'd still have her so I could make a statement like that.

Her last day here, she was so cute (she was always cute, even when she was messing up my house.) We went to my in-laws for Labor Day. She seemed to have a blast playing with her cousins, running all over. She was actually starting to be the good dog that I could get glimpses of. She'd come when we called, never bark, never beg for food, she was wonderful - if only I would have realized it then. But...it was time to eat. Jon was out in the garage turning wood and Boo ran outside to get him. I told her, "Go tell Daddy it's time to eat." She raced out there and bounced all around. We went inside and shortly after dinner I left for Joann's with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Janell. While I was gone, Boo got into another dog's food and ate a lot of it. By the time I got back, she'd already thrown up twice. Throughout the rest of the evening she threw up at least 2 more times. When we were ready to go home, she was too weak to get in the car (although she always had been our little jumper), she sat quietly in my lap and I told her "If you learn to act like this when you feel fine, you'll make a great adult someday." I think those were my last words to her. When we got to the house, Jon took her and put her to bed.

I got up the next morning to take her outside and she was gone. I don't really remember a lot of that morning I was half asleep and noticed she wasn't barking to be let out. I didn't really think much of it though because she'd been really good about that lately. The thing I do remember is that the little light wasn't on next to her and I noticed it while I went down the stairs. I think I said, oh you poor baby, you must have had a rough night (I could smell that she had messed her cage) and the light wasn't even on. Then I saw her. I don't want to dwell on that part because I want to remember her as my fluffy little bundle of energy.

The vet thinks that she probably had a heart condition and that throwing up so much triggered it. Boo did die in her sleep, so hopefully it was quick and painless. One thing is for sure - she will be missed greatly by her mommy and daddy. We do have some pictures but not a lot, I just wish we would have had the foresight to take more, even if it would have driven her crazy.

We loved you so much Boo - and you were such a joy to have in our lives - We will miss you!!!