Stormy came into our lives at a very important time. We had lost our first dog, Freeway. We were devastated and vowed that we would never have another pet because the pain of losing her was too great. However, the silence in our house turned out to be deafening. Unbeknownst to me, Rick began trolling the dog pound looking for another dog. On one of his trips he found Stormy and fell in love with her. He immediately came home and told me to get in the truck. I asked where we were going, but he wouldn't tell me. When he turned onto Route 13, I knew where we were going. I said, "Rick, we agreed no more animals." He just kept driving. Next thing I knew I had an 8 week old black fur ball with a spotted tongue licking my face. It was love at first sight.
Over the next 10 years, she brought us so much joy and at times, some grief. When we first got her, it turned out that she was sick with an intestinal virus. We spent many days nursing her back to health. Then of course this winter we had to face that fact that she had a tumor on her liver as well as having arthritis. We spent many nights worrying over her of late. Of course there were many sleepless nights because of her fear of storms. She would cry, pace and pant every time there was thunder and lightening. A little ironic wouldn't you say when you consider her name was Stormy! She also had an annoying habit of eating poop! Yuck!!! Why do dogs do that?
The good times, though, far outweighed the bad times. Stormy brought laughter and love back into our hearts after losing Freeway. She in no way replaced Freeway, but she did help us fill the void. As a pup she was exhausting. She would play ball for hours! She had a way of picking it up and dropping it at our feet when she wanted to play. And she was persistent. We finally learned to just throw the damn ball vs. trying to ignore her. Then she went through her squeaky toy period. Stormy loved her squeaky, and Rick hated it. In fact, I bought a bunch of them and kept them in the cupboard. Stormy would play with that toy until it fell apart! I loved annoying Rick, so I was able to replace it immediately! Then there was her love for Sophie. Well, at first there wasn't so much love, but Sophie grew on Stormy. They became the best of friends. They chased bunnies and kitties together. They dug up the yard searching for moles. They would wrestle and chase each other around the house. They would also tag team each other until they got whatever food that was left on the counter down. The last snack they shared was an entire angel food cake!
Stormy was also very stubborn. She knew how to get what she wanted. We had a few battles over the years about who was in control. Our last battle was over the new couch. I didn't want her on it, and she didn't care. I did every thing I could think of to keep her off of it. I tried to barricade her in the kitchen, but she always found a way around it. When I realized that wasn't going to work, I started barricade the couch. That didn't work either!! In the end we compromised. She agreed to stay off of it when I was home, and I agreed to cover the couch with a sheet when I wasn't home. As I sit here now looking at that couch, I would give anything to see it covered in black hair.
As hard as it is, we know that Stormy is in a better place. She is no longer suffering from the cancer and arthritis. As my friend Cheryl said, "Stormy is now in heaven jumping on all of the couches". Thanks to Todd Burpo's book, 'Heaven is For Real', I know that there really are animals in heaven. It makes us happy to know that Stormy and Freeway are chasing balls and jumping on furniture under God's watchful eye.
So to our Stormy, we say farewell. We want to thank you for all of the love you gave us the last 10 years. You always greeted us at the door with such gusto! It didn't matter if we were gone 5 minutes or 5 days. The greeting was always the same. We want to thank you for coming into our lives when we were at our lowest. You helped us heal our hearts and you showed us how to love again. You licked away our tears when we were sad. You made us smile with your antics. You were the best.
As Dr. Williamson said in her card, "Life is ephemeral, but love is eternal." You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten. You will live in our hearts forever.
Make Every Day Count....
Dad, Mom and Sophie
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