I was never a 'dog person.' When we first got 8 month-old Brownie from someone who couldn't handle his energy, he was already full grown & would literally knock over old people. They had named him 'Buster' because he 'busted everything up.' I quickly changed his name to Brownie because that was my grandfather's nickname and he looked like a hu-mungo brown bear to me. I was so NOT a dog owner, that I used to wash my hands after touching him. I know, right? Little did I know that I'd be practically laying on him 8 years later as we said goodbye to his sweet, little eyes.
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| This is the 'I'm so small...you won't even notice I'm here' face |
I trained Brownie to do tricks and he is one of the smartest dogs I have ever seen. He picked up the Army Crawl after I showed him one time. He could high-5, shake, catch just about anything, eat just about anything...he even did a front bow every time I walked in the door (like a true Prince,
I'd say!)
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| His nickname was 'Mr. Happy' for this face alone |
But Brownie starting having seizures a few years ago and it has been a hard journey ever since. He lost most of his tricks, except sitting & bowing (of course he kept the bow to his Princess.
..ha!) We struggled with the decision of when to say goodbye to some(one?) who has unconditionally loved you, day in and day out, even in your worst moments. Well, he let us know a few days ago when he stopped eating and couldn't even hold down water. He went from bouncing around like normal to having to be carried to the vet in a matter of 1.5 days. We are so thankful that he no longer has to suffer. But I miss my big, brown bear. So bad.
I still wouldn't consider myself an official dog person, but I can definitely see why they are called 'Man's best friend.' Because they are. Brownie was 1/2 chocolate lab, 1/2 Australian Shepherd...and 'shepherd' he did. He would be on your heels EVERYWHERE you went in the house, up and down the stairs (sometimes risking your life!), escorting the trash out to the back, guarding our door every night, etc. etc. He has left behind his little gal, Soleil, and she is already standing at the door like he's coming back. While it is hard to see such strength fade in an animal, I wanted to post a tribute video of how I remember Brownie the most. Soleil makes a guest appearance as they do the one thing that STILL makes me & my family laugh (it never gets old!) Watch and see how they twist and turn their heads when I mention 'the word you should never say'. He even looks to the leash basket, as if I needed a reminder of where they were. Enjoy!
