It’s been a month now since we said our goodbye’s to Hank. I’d say each day get’s easier...isn’t that what you’re supposed to say? But, that’s not actually true. Some days are easier and some days are harder. It’s all the routines that you had that make some days harder. Coming home from grocery shopping and he’s not at the door waiting to sniff through the bags for any treats. Coming home from work and no Hank or Tweety to run down to the door to greet me. After dinner walks....my heart still hurts. But, time does go on and this blog will help me to capture all the wonderful ways Hank brightened our day.
He was our beautiful golden retriever border collie cross. We brought him into our home after adopting him from the Nanaimo SPCA when he was 3 years old. He joined his brother Bart shortly after Bart’s sister Maggie passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 12. When Hank joined our family, he was already well trained and so smart. He fit in perfectly to our family. Lou adopted him immediately as his best friend on earth. It was so cute. We even videod a few of their first interactions together here.
Hank loved his routine, after dinner walks were a must, like clockwork. We often called him our weather dog. Any night where it might have been pouring rain while we ate, miraculously it would clear up just in time for a walk 😊. Second to rooting around looking for any scraps of food someone might have thrown to the ground, his absolute favourite part of his walk was the ‘leash game’. Without fail, as soon as we we could see the house he’d get all excited and would start playing tug of war with his leash. He’d playfully try and yank his leash out of my hand and if he succeeded, he’d stop quickly to give me a chance to grab hold of it again. He loved loved loved that game ❤️. I loved it when he’d poke his head through my legs while I was walking, leash in his mouth and a big goofy grin on his face. He was always very expressive, and had the most beautiful smile. He knew he was loved and he loved us right back. Once we got up to the door, he’d stop tugging and would just carry his leash in his mouth into the house. And, once we were inside he’d wait patiently on the steps always with that big grin while we took our coat and shoes off. Then he’d bound upstairs and wait outside the kitchen for his treat (or two). I’m so thankful I thought to take this short video of him playing this game shortly before he passed. He played it right up until his final weeks with us.
He had so much personality and was so smart. I loved how he’d go into mom’s living area after coming in from his last visit outside before bed. He’d go into her area, nudge open her door and just go up to her to say goodnight and get one more pet before bed, then he’d follow me upstairs where he’d sleep beside me on his bed every night.
He was my shadow, never letting me leave his side for very long. If I was working at home he’d be lying at my feet. He loved my work from home days as it usually meant he got an extra walk that day - a nice mid morning break. I never had to look at the clock, he would just sit up and come to my side and start to whine like clockwork at 10 a.m.....prompting me to pull away from my computer and go take him out into the sunshine for a walk 😎.
He was a very quiet dog too, never barking unless there was a crow in the yard. For some reason he really did not like crows. It was a bit comical to watch as he’d run across the yard head pointed up barking at the crows as they flew overhead. Sometimes I think they just liked to get him going. Other than that though, he was a quiet, gentle boy who liked to be around us all the time.
Without fail whenever I came home from work, whether I’d been at the office only a few minutes away or returning from a work trip, he’d meet me at the door. Dan and mom would often tell me that he’d be sleeping and then within 15 minutes of me coming through the door it was as if he knew I was on my way. He’d get up and make his way to the door to wait for me. On many days, when I’d leave the house I’d see him upstairs in the window, up on the cat bench watching me from the window. Did I mention he was very attached to me? 🥰
He loved to play with Dan too - tug of war was his favourite. Only the ‘rope’ he’d tug on was typically your pant leg! He also loved to play a hide and seek game where Dan would throw a blanket or towel over his head. When he was younger he LOVED any stuffed toy with a squeaker in it. Almost with medical precision he’d tear open a small hole, pull out the stuffing and find his “prize” squeaker which he would promptly destroy. Amazingly, almost always leaving the rest of the toy in tact. He had a favourite toy - a stuffed green monkey toy gramma bought him that he loved the very most. He had a few over the years, and one year we made the mistake of buying a pink one. Well...that just wasn’t the same...it had to be green. And yes, I know dogs are colour blind, but it was the truth. That pink one, he’d have nothing to do with it. Now, it might of been because Dad made fun of him having a girly toy...but seriously? It was too odd. Toy’s in general never lasted very long. He was expert at disecting them to get the squeekers out, usually just leaving the outer hollow skeleton of the toy. In his final year, the toys stopped being much of an interest...but every now and then he’d go over to his toy box and would root through it to find one. He’d bring it out pouncing on it to see if there was still a squeaker inside intact or sometimes simply just to bring onto his bed to rest his head on.
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Bottom right picture is the whole family
Clockwise Hank, Sweetie, Tweety, Monkey, Lou and Me (Dad is taking the pic) |
Breakfast every morning and particularly on the weekends was his favourite...there was always the chance, heck who am I kidding...the guarantee that he’d get a bite of toast with peanut butter or on the weekends something extra special...a piece of bacon or sausage! It was funny to watch him. He’s sit by my side, trying not to “bum” too badly...but as close to me as he could possibly get. I’d finish my breakfast but would always save him just a little “bite”. And on weekends when he knew gramma also had bacon or sausage, he’d quickly go downstairs to “join” her for her breakfast...inevitably getting another helping of bacon or sausage from gramma. The fact gramma ate much slower than mom did was most definitely to his benefit 😋
He’d sleep beside me in his bed every night. He was always a good sleeper - if we slept in, he would too...and, if he needed to go out in the night, something that became more and more frequent in his final days, he’d quietly walk up beside me and would nuzzle his nose under the covers to gently rouse me. I still find myself stepping over his bed even though it’s no longer there.
He never liked to be outside by himself long, and would bark briefly to let us know he was ready to come inside. Near the end he changed, he seemed to enjoy going outside for longer. We’d come to let him in and he’d be sitting out in the middle of the yard, he’d look back at me as if to say “just a bit longer mom”. He looked so peaceful out there, in nights when the moon shone bright his shadow would cast across the yard. He seemed at peace, a life full of love well lived.
Sadly, I’ll remember the seizures he suffered from. We’d never experienced that before and it was so scary and stressful. Yet, he’d come out of them and be back to his normal self within an hour as if nothing had happened. He suffered from them for about the last 8 months of his time with us. Initially they started out very spread out 2-3 months apart. Then gradually they got closer at every 2-3 weeks. CBD oil was a god send, allowing him to stay with us a few months longer. Our goal was to have him see 2020, and he didn’t let us down. We hoped he’d make it to his 14th birthday on February 5th and he sure tried.
Having lost Tweety and Monkey so soon before Hank, our emotions were quite raw. I couldn’t face going back to the vet a third time in only 2 months to say goodbye. Thankfully mom had a friend whose daughter had recently had a vet come to her home to euthanize one of her dogs. She was very impressed with the entire service and recommended the vet to us. I am SO thankful for that referral. It was absolutely the best experience it could have been. Although still extremely difficult, it was such a peaceful way to say goodbye. She took her time with him, gave him his absolute favourite treats and gradually, when we were ready he quietly went to sleep, his head in my lap. I know it probably seems hokey, but that day was a grey rainy day UNTIL his last moments. The sun came out and shone down bright and warm during his last minutes. His final magical weather dog abilities cleared up the skies so we could say our farewells. I’m not a hokey person, but that memory will stay with me forever.
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Hank and his bud Lou
September 2019 |
Time is now passing, and we are moving forward. His buddy Lou has been quite confused and we can see he too is hurting with the loss of “his dog” and his buds Tweety and Monkey. For days he’d wait by the door as if wondering when we were going to bring everybody back home. We’re giving him and his sister all the love and attention we can and together, we are all healing the huge holes in our hearts. We all look forward to welcoming two beautiful kittens full of spunk and sass at the end of March. They’ll give Lou a run for his money, that’s for sure! I look forward to introducing them in a future post 😊
Hank will be in our hearts forever and through this blog, I’ll carry the memory of him and all of his wonderful personality traits with me.
💞Rest in Peace Hank 💞
January 21, 2020
