Fraggle is in Doggy Heaven.

Fraggle

Age 10, ~2001 - November 01, 2011

You will always be in our hearts and I can't wait to see you again in Heaven.

Nickname: Fraggle Waggle, Mr. Fluff and Stuff, Fuzzy Boy

Fraggle came into my life after years of being without a dog. I was enjoying the freedom from responsibility but was starting to want a dog again. I began looking at adoption sites and I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a poodle who was already grown and housebroken with all their manners. I wanted a dog who was easy going, didn't bark much and wouldn't rush me out of bed too early in the morning. I was use to my independence and hesitant about the commitment. I needed a low key dog who was attuned to condo living.

One day at work a friend called me and said she found me a dog. "what do you mean you found me a dog?" I said, almost rolling my eyes. "I know I'm looking but I'm really not sure I want to take on the responsibility yet." She said she spotted him as she was driving down a busy road and he was about to get hit by a car. She quickly pulled over, threw her door open and yelled "HEY!" and he turned and happily hopped into her car, cluelessly avoiding death by seconds. His hair was overgrown, he was infested with fleas and had a bad ear infection. She took him to the groomer and he came back a very handsome boy. (It was because of this cute hair cut with his little afro that I later named him "Fraggle" as he looked like a cute little fuzzy headed muppet.) I agreed to let him "audition" over the weekend to be my dog but said I wasn' t making any promises.

As soon as she brought him over he instantly acted like my dog, following me around so faithful and obedient. Several people commented over the weekend that he acted as if I had always been his Mom. He also had a super happy smile. I don't know how long he was lost on the streets but I swear he smiled for about 2 weeks straight after I got him. Of course it didn't take very long to know that I was going to keep him because he was an adorable little charmer. I had been impressed at how quiet he was, b/c I'm very sensitive to noise and was concerned about barking, but he was no yapper. On Sunday afternoon I officially announced to my husband that doggy was a keeper. I went to lay down shortly after and Fraggle came in the room with me and sat on the corner of the bed. He heard a noise and for the first time all weekend gave a protective little "woof". And I knew that HE knew we were his permanent loving home.

He was a cute, sweet and funny little guy. It was obvious that he had come from a good home and had somehow gotten lost. He was impeccably behaved and well mannered. He had a certain spot on the couch that he always claimed as well as at the corner of the bed at night and it was clear that these had been the places he laid in his previous home. He walked perfectly on a leash and climbed on the drivers lap in the car as if he was used to doing this. We made efforts to find an owner and would have reluctantly returned him to his original home, but I was grateful when nobody claimed him.

After about 2 months, he suddenly became sick, he was lethargic, and pale and his urine was bright yellow./ orange. I took him to the vet and they rescued him with fluids and some other treatments. He stayed overnight at the pet hospital and had a very close brush with death due to a liver issue but then recovered. But it wasn't long until he would have some more issues with nausea, diarrhea and a series of bladder infections. He seemed to constantly be on medication, but we were able to keep his health relatively normal with some mild ups and downs for about a year at which point we had another close call and I prayed for more time with him. I maxed out credit cards on his vet bills, we had him tested for Addisons disease which was negative and I did everything we could afford to do. The vet put him on steroids to help subdue his symptoms and keep his appetite up. We were guessing he had a tumor but never really knew for sure. He maintained a relatively stable condition for several more months, but I knew we were on borrowed time.

In the time that we had him, he was such a joy! He filled an emptiness and boredom that I was experiencing in my life. He entertained us with his silliness and made us laugh. He was a precious little innocent guy with no clue that anything in the world could ever hurt him. Every morning I would wake up and thank God for "my sweet little teddy bear" then I would lay my head near his, pet him & kiss him and say "good morning my sweet little boy, Mommy loves you!" I used to say that God gave me a living teddy bear to carry through life. He was always friendly and kind to all people and animals. Everybody commented on how cute he was. He loved belly pets and the kissing game we would play back and forth. I would kiss him, he would kiss me back and it would go on and on almost endlessly, making me laugh every time.

He had a wonderful happy life, he was seldom alone and went on plenty of walks every day. I took him everywhere with me that I could and If he got tired I would carry him. He loved going places with Mommy and Daddy together and would do his special "Happy Bark" when he knew were were going somewhere, like the park or the beach or the farmers market. I never took him for granted and never got too busy with life to give him love. He had constant love and affection all the days we had him. He was so adorable we used to say it should be illegal to be that cute because I couldn't walk past him without having to kiss or pet him and say "OH MY GOSH YOU"RE SO FREAKING CUTE I JUST CAN'T STAND IT!" Sometimes he would kill us with cuteness by doing this little thing we called "Cute Dog" where he would lay on his back and rub over his eyes with his paws and if I pet his belly or rubbed his nose he would do it more as he rolled around and smiled. It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen and I am so happy I got this on video!

In this past six weeks I really began to feel the emotional burden of monitoring his health and struggling to get him to eat and knowing I would eventually have to lose him. I told God that I knew he was going to take him from me but that I would fight him every step of the way. Eventually the meds stopped working and I saw a steady decline in his condition. At first it was just mild but eventually he was very sick. Still in my mind, denial was strong and I thought he would beat the odds yet again. But I was not be be so lucky. Although his blood work a few months prior had come back fine, this time there were indications of so many things-possible liver cancer, an autoimmune disease and parasites in his red blood cells. There was a good chance that a tumor had ruptured and that his heart could give out any moment. The prognosis was grave and I knew the time had come. Anything else would just be buying more time of nursing a sick dog and he would never really be healthy. I knew as I held him for the last time in the vets office and looked in his sweet little eyes that he felt so terrible and needed to be free from this struggle.

I made the painful decision to eliminate his suffering and set him free. We were able to sit with him and say good bye for as long as we needed. I held him during the injection and it was only seconds before I knew he was gone. We were able to take him home with us one last night. I wrapped him in a blanket with just his little head sticking out and laid him on the couch with me and cuddled him all night. I cried for 12 hours non stop and didn't sleep all night. I have never felt such grief in my life. I would have given anything to save him if I thought he could have been a healthy dog, but I knew that would never be his fate here on Earth.

We had him for 18 months exactly to the day. We lost him on All Saint's Day, which seems appropriate since he was such an angel. Losing him was more painful than losing the dog I had for 12 years; she had lived a long pampered life, but Fraggle was such a delicate little baby that needed so much care. Even so, I think back to my silly hesitation about the commitment and responsibility of taking on a dog and I laugh because he was no trouble at all. He brought many smiles and laughter to our home. He was everything I had wanted in a dog and so much more. He was the perfect match for me; he never did any bad things and was such an easy going guy, so loveable. The emotional burden of his illness weighed heavily, but he, as a dog was perfect. I wake up now and life is so quiet and dull without a fuzzy little guy to take on walks. I can't even imagine how I was once concerned about an infringement on my freedom; I would have kept him with me for the rest of my life if I could have.

My husband says he feels blessed to have had Fraggle and describes his little visit like God touching the tip of your nose gently and smiling and saying "Boop!". Like a beautiful visit from an angel bringing love into our lives. I'm so grateful to my friend who found him for me and for my next door neighbor who adopted him as her grand baby and always had special treats for him. I'm so grateful that he blessed my life and that I had the opportunity to give him a wonderful ending to to his life. I often think of his original owner and wish they could know how he was cared for. I try to remember that someone else once loved him as much as we do and that he had a life of possibly 8-12 years, but we were only in it for the final 18 months.

The day after he passed away, my husband says he heard Fraggle's "Happy Bark" all day long, like a song that keeps playing in your head. I like to think that wherever he is, he is so happy, healthy and energized that he can't help but to do the Happy Bark all day long; and this helps me feel better. He was so unbelievably special and I poured every once of my heart into him. He will be so missed and I pray that he is the first thing I see when I get to Heaven.