Doggy Heaven - Share and pay tribute to departed best friends

"Zack" Zachariah Vaughn Murphy-Mikus

Age 14, January 30, 1999 - February 07, 2013

You were the best son ever and we miss you so much. Love you baby. Mom & Dad

Nickname: Zack, Zack-a-doodle, Little man, Little Daddy

Oh my sweet little man
You had to leave, it was not the plan

You have gone on a journey where I can't go
I miss you so much, oh how the tears flow

I wish I could hold you just one more time
To steal a hug would be no crime

I miss the sweet little things you do
This can't be the end... I'm not through

Now, I guess I must be strong
Without you here... it's just wrong

14 years is just not enough
Since you've been gone, it's been really rough

Your daddy is lost without you near
You were so sweet & such a dear

Words are not enough to let you know
How much we love you, please don't go

Your journey has just begun,
Now you can hop, skip and run

You must move on, you have things to do
Just remember I love you

Please come see me when you can
We will be together, it's our plan

I love you so very much Zack-a-doodle!
Love Mommy

Zack was an older boy and had some health problems but he seemed to be handling things well. We gave him the very best medical care available. We were also aware of quality over quantity. He had been doing just fine! The morning of the day he died, he was fine, He and his dad even went to White Rock lake for his walk. That afternoon Zack and I sat outside for a while. Then in the late afternoon, (about 5:30pm)on 2/7/13 he started acting strange. Mike and I are very in tune with him. As we examined him we found that his gums were turning white. We rushed him to the vet. By that time he was starting to go into shock. They took an x-ray of his heart and abdomen and found a huge mass in his liver. His O2 saturation was only 74 (should have been 98) he was having trouble breathing, so they put him on O2. The doctor said if we did nothing he would likely pass in a couple of hours, but he would suffer greatly. So we ended up having to put him to sleep. It ripped my heart out to have to make that decision, but with all the information we had from the vet, it was the only decision. So his passing completely blindsided us. I am grateful he did not have a prolonged period of suffering, but I am so absolutely devastated. I have had him since he was barely 9 weeks old. I am grateful for having him in our lives for 14 years, but I am selfish, I want another 14 years. He meant more to us than I can articulate, He truly was our little boy! It's been 3 weeks now and it is still very difficult to get out of bed everyday and start the day knowing he won't be there to share it with me. I suppose he is always there in spirit, but like I said I am selfish, I want him here. As I am feeling better I will post more of the many happy memories. He was quite a character!
Channin

I thought I would share a funny story about Zack.
About 1 1/2 years ago on a warm summer morning I decided to give Zack a bath. Now, even though he was a Keeshond (dutch barge dog), Zack did not like water. Needless to say he was none to pleased to get a bath. So when we finished up the bath, I figured I would reward him with a walk while it was still some what cool. We walked down the sidewalk and got about 6 houses away from our house when Zack decided since this was the only house on the street which had a sprinkler system currently running,... this would be a good place to do his business. He was still wet from his bath, so he got within 6 inches of a running sprinkler head and let loose. He knew from experience that mom would pick up after him. He got his revenge for the bath when he made sure mom would get wet that morning too. He stood back on the sidewalk with a satisfied grin on his face while his mom got her comeuppance. Well played Zack, well played!