Our Dodger Dog

It was August of 1997. Two newlyweds were headed to Durham, CA to "look" at some Chocolate lab puppies. Immediately upon seeing the pups we knew we weren't just looking. We named her Dodger after the LA Dodgers that Garrett so loved and was missing by living in Northern California. She was my first dog ever. We brought her home, carrying her on my lap as we drove, first to the pet store, and then to our house. That first night was rough because we were going to be tough and not let our dog sleep with us, so we put her in the bathroom where she cried. Then we put her outside where she cried more. Eventually she ended up in our room....

Dodger has been through everything with us. She loved playing in the creek in Chico, where she would drink so much water her stomach would be bloated. She became my running companion. She moved with us to Ventura, where she loved chasing seagulls on the beach. She would dig and bark in the sand and even found fish and dead seals to roll on, bringing home a lovely stench. She moved with us again to Bakersfield, where she ran around our big back yard and played in the water with Kevin. Finally she moved to Santa Clarita, where she began to show signs of aging with graying fur and a slight limp. She continued to accompany me on long runs though and became a hiking partner.

Today we had to say good-bye to our Dodger Dog. She had been steadily loosing weight and slowing down more and more. With the results from her blood tests telling us the her kidneys were failing, we knew it was time. I never thought it would be so hard saying good-bye to a dog, but it was very difficult.

We've spent today thinking of memories, Garrett sharing most of them with me and the boys. We found these pictures that show how our puppy grew up over the years.....

WE LOVE YOU DODGER AND WILL MISS YOU ALWAYS!