Monday, September 21, 2015

Our Wrecks

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
September 14, 2015

We unexpectedly lost our sweet Wrecks in the early morning  hours of September 14, 2015.  He had just turned seven in August and we had every reason to hope he would grow old with us.  The autopsy revealed that foxtail, likely ingested while playing ball in a Montrose, CO campground, had stuck in his intestines causing an abscessed ulcer and then exited into the abdominal cavity where the infection went septic killing him in a few short hours.  We were not familiar with this insidious weed until the couple we were traveling with pointed it out to us.  We had played ball with Wrecks in the campground's fenced in dog park we thought had been covered in hay.  Little did we know it was foxtail.  Yes, we did point it out to the owner/operator who quickly responded "you can't tell me anything I don't know about that".  I asked him why he had not posted warnings on the gate of his bark park and he chose to ignore me and the question.  Our friends puppy ended up with foxtail in his paw that worked itself from the pad of his paw through the top causing a nasty infection requiring a veterinarian's attention.  I thought our puppies were all O.K. but obviously, we were fatally wrong.  I have simply not had the heart to keep up with our blogging since.  Joe asked me to put together a small assortment of pictures covering the brief seven years of life we shared with our beloved puppy.... the baby of our family.

Dover, Joe and I adopted Wrecks when he was 5 months old in January, 2009. He was the second of the Tan Clan to join our family. 
July 4, 2010 almost 2 years old.
By October, 2010 we had three of the four. I am pretty sure the squirrels were tormenting Dover and Wrecks from the top of the puppies play set in our back yard.


Cape Hatteras in May 2011 was Wrecks' first trip to the beach. 


September 2011...patiently waiting for the rain to stop in Elizabethtown, PA.  
October 2011...taking a break from ball play in Dover, DE
Swimming in Grapevine, TX...April, 2012.
The only picture I have of the 6 of us on a morning walk in Freeport, FL taken in December, 2012. Thank you David!
St Mary, MT in August 2013. 
Moab, UT...May 2014


Playing ball and...

taking a break...Moab, September 9, 2015.






The Tan Clan checking out a dragonfly. This is the last picture I took of all four together...September 10, 2015

18 comments:

  1. I am so sorry and feel your pain. It was so hard when we lost our Duchess too. Our pets are family too. I so understand. Look at the wonderful life you shared and the joy you brought to Wrecks. So sorry.

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  2. So sorry for your loss, at least you have some great pictures and goo0d memories.

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  3. Ken and I are so sorry to hear about your Wrecks. It never gets any easier to loose a beloved pet. We certainly feel your pain. I remember him slowly snuggling up to Ken on your couch. You are in our thoughts.

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  4. So very sorry to read about Wrecks. Thanks for sharing the wonderful years you had together:)

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  5. I am really sorry to read this. I know how hard it is when they leave but dogs are such a joy to have. You have some great photos posted, thanks for posting them. Remember the good times you had with Wrecks.

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  6. I was so sad to hear that you had lost Wrecks. These fur kids become so much a part of our lives and our hearts. This is a beautiful tribute. Wishing you wonderful memories knowing how much he loved you.

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  7. What a sweetheart. So very sorry for the trauma of his sudden loss for you. I've never posted on your blog, but have read it with interest since we also travel with dogs (4 at one time) and have a Jeep. We lost my husband's guide dog 2 years ago--still grieve him. And then suddenly our 5 year old little malinois rescue while we were traveling in Virginia. In the morning she was fine--by the end of the day she was gone. It's such a heartbreak to lose them, but such a gift to love them. Our thoughts are with you as you grieve your loss--it's hard on the other dogs too.

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  8. Wrecks was a beautiful dog, and seems to have fit into your family so perfectly. I know you all miss him terribly. Our dogs may die, but they never leave us, do they? I still think about dogs I've had in the past. Each one was my "best" dog. So sad to read about your loss.

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  9. Awww, we're sorry about Wrecks. What a gorgeous dog. We understand your sorrow having lost fur-kids of our own over the years.

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  10. I'm so sorry, Wrecks was such a sweetie. It brought a smile to me looking back at the pictures, especially the ones when he first adopted y'all. I thought about how he was ALL ears and legs. We nicknamed him Wrecks-Alot. He was so clumsy and then quickly built up those leg muscles and became quite the athlete! We love y'all and know how much Wrecks was a blessing to y'all as y'all were to him.

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  11. I am so sorry for your loss. It is never easy to lose any of our precious furry friends. I know Wrecks warmed your hearts.

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  12. Oh, how sad.... The void must be so painful. Beautiful tribute.

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  13. Gay and Joe, what a beautiful tribute to your buddy and best friend. My deepest, heartfelt, condolences for the loss of your beloved boy. Even though his life was shortened, he couldn't have, I bet, been more happy than to share each and every day with you both and the rest of his pack.

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  14. Gay, this is a great collage of your beloved Wreck. I hope through this pics and your tribute brings comfort. Its never easy to lose a furry friend that add joy to your life.

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  15. I have been remiss at keeping up with all of my blog reading lately so it was with great sadness I read this, your post, today. I must chastise myself for not keeping up & expressing my condolences to you sooner. I hope Wrecks did not suffer but slipped quietly away in his sleep. Know that I will be thinking of you, Joe & the Tan Crew with heartfelt sympathy.

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  16. So sorry to hear of Wrecks passing. He couldn't have been with more loving people. (Julie & Vaughan)

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  17. I'm just now catching up and am just heart broken over your loss. What a sweet and beautiful tribute to Wrecks. We had to say good-bye to our Bo this past Spring and it's still hard. Love and hugs to you, Joe and the Tan Clan.

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