When My Dog Escaped To The Other Side

I remember going to pick up our new puppy at the home of a private owner whose dog just had a litter of six puppies. They were all so beautiful and there were five male dogs and just one female dog, they were part Lhasa Apso and part mixed but unknown. And the reason why the mix is unknown is because the mother got out of the yard when she was in heat, and had relations with a few dogs in the neighborhood.We had talked to them on the phone and said that we would want the female puppy and they said that would be alright. But when we got there they were not sure they wanted to sell the female, so we said that if we could not have the female puppy we would not be interested in any of the another puppies.So they agreed to sell the female puppy and home we went with her.

She was all white just like all her five brothers and we named her Tanya, she loved her new home and enjoyed playing and running in her new yard. In time our little white dog began getting other colors in her fur, some browns and black fur began growing all over her body. We found to that her fur would change color with the seasons, in summer her fur would get a light brown and white but in fall and winter her fur would get a very dark brown and black color mixed in. Sometimes when I would walk her some people would ask if I had gotten a new dog just because she was a different color.

We also found that our little Tanya had a mind of her own, and was determined to do what she wanted to do. When Tanya was bad or did something wrong she had to be punished, but don’t worry I have never hit any of my dogs, but this is what I did. I found that she was very attached to me and would always want to be near me, so when she was bad I would make her go in the hallway and lay down there and told her to stay there and not move. She would cry to come in the room with me but would not move from that spot I put her on. After some time I would let her come in the room with me for the rest of the night, she would get has close to me had she could and stayed there the rest of the night. Little by little Tanya learned to listen to me and not to do what she wanted, and she did that so well that her time spent in the hallway was down to once a month than not at all.

Our little Tanya loved to play outside and loved to run and catch a ball or play with her best friend Pumpkin. We found to that Tanya liked to play Frisbee and would run after it and jump in the air to catch it in her mouth, something no other dog of ours had ever done. Her favorite food she liked mixed in with her dog food was chicken or fish and her favorite treats were coffee ice cream and beggin strips Tanya also liked to go for long walks on a nice summer day and meet other dogs and people on the way and also watch the swans swim in the water. But last year Tanya could only go on short walks because we found out that she has arthritis in all four of her legs and can no longer enjoy long walks without her legs being in pain.

I have used Tanya photos in all the hubs about dogs and in the one about when she went blind and what I did to help her. She is a very beautiful dog who enjoyed having her picture taken.

Yesterday(March 16th 2012) Tanya passed away peacefully after a short illness(old age ) and has now escaped to the other side to be with her best friend and playmate Pumpkin so they can play non-stop in the sunshine and roll in the grass together and be together again. But for me today my heart is broken not only have I lost a very beautiful dog but a very beautiful friend that I shall miss forever. Tanya was 15 years old, but in dog years she was 76 years old. She was a friendly, trusting, loving and courageous dog and I learned a lot from her in her life and in her death. Enjoy the other side Tanya my friend !