Judy the Mixed Breed Dog

Published on Jan 1st, 2008

By Danny and Danielle Howell (Location Unknown)

I lost my little dog, Judy, today. She died at the Vet's office while they were trying to find out why she was having so much trouble breathing. They did some X-rays first, and listened to her heart, all seemed fine. They then put her to sleep, so they could look down her throat with a little camera to see if they could determine what was wrong. They found that she had some small sackules in her esophagus that were restricting her little throat. While they were waiting for her to awake, her little heart stopped. This was totally unexpected, and they did not know why it happened. Despite the efforts of 3 doctors, they were unable to get it to start again.

I have such a gaping hole in my life now; I don't know how I will ever get over this. She was so innocent, and a very good little doggie who loved us unconditionally. She was ours for 3 years and 9 months, or we were hers. She would have been six sometime this month. We never did know what day she was born on.
I brought her home in the little cardboard casket the vet's office provided. I went out to my workshop and built a small pine box to put it in. We put her favorite little stuffed doggie and 2-1/2 biscuits in with her. The half was left from one she didn't get to finish. I buried her right outside our big picture windows. Danielle parents have ordered a stone marker with her name, and we are going to construct a flower garden around her.

I can still see her standing on the porch, as I'd drive up, barking to welcome me home. She'd race across the yard to greet me as fast as her little legs would carry her. If I got home first, she'd be in the window pawing at the screen as if to say "let me out, let me out!". Then she'd sit up on the back of the couch, and keep watch down the driveway for Danielle to come home. As soon as she saw the headlights, she'd run to the window and bark as Dani came up the driveway. Then she'd run through the kitchen and before I could get there she'd be pawing at the door frantically. I'd open the door and she'd run out onto the porch and nearly jump out of her skin, so excited that Danielle was home. Dani would pick her up and get licked on the face. Judy would be squirming so much you'd almost drop her. We'd put her between us and have a family hug. Then it'd be my turn to pet her while Danielle held her. After that, I'd hold her so Danielle could pet her. Then we'd go make our trip outside. After we got back in we always got a biscuit for being a good girl. Funny thing about her, she would not eat her biscuit unless one of us was in the room. And even then, we'd have to say, "it's ok, you can have it" before she would eat it. She would not even eat her morning biscuit until we got home either. It would sit beside her all day, but she found comfort in knowing it was there. Sometimes she'd bury her biscuit in the blanket. She'd lay it down and push the blanket up over it with her nose. Or she'd hide them around the house, part of her personal "stash". We are still finding them and it is so hard.

When my dad died, she was all alone, and we took her into our family. She was very afraid back then. Her little world had been turned upside down, and while she knew me, my Dad was her whole world. So at night she wanted to sleep in the bed with us. I had gotten her a Wendy's French fry box and put a pillow in it to be her private space, and to provide her somewhere to sleep. But the only way she would go in it, is if I lined it with whatever shirt I happening to be wearing before bedtime. I guess the smell of someone she knew gave her some comfort. She was that way about coats and jackets too. If you came in and took off your coat, she was right there wagging her tail for you to put it down so she could crawl up in it. She especially liked our leather jackets. I guess partly because of the smell, and partly for the silky lining. Later on, we did let her sleep in bed with us, and she would crawl under the covers down between us and sleep. If we were not close enough for her to touch each of us she'd turn sideways so that she would know we were both there. She got over this later on, and took to sleeping at the head of one our pillows. I used to lay my hand on her back while I slept to let her know everything was ok. Sometimes she'd get down at the foot of the bed and curl up between Dani's legs. Dani had to get used to lifting her legs before trying to turn over. We always had to be careful of laundry. Judy had a habit of burrowing into laundry and then coming back out with just her little nose sticking out. I almost stepped on her a few times. She used to lay stretched out with her hind legs pointing straight backward.

We always left the TV and light on for her. She grew up with a TV on, and we didn't want her to be lonely or in the dark if we got home late. She would crawl over in our lap while we were driving, and stand up on her little hind legs so she could see out. If the window were open she'd stick her head out and sniff. Daddy used to let her ride up on his shoulders and behind his neck while her drove. So this was her favorite seat with us as well. She'd sit up on my shoulder and watch everything while we rode. I'd always get some "Happy Dog", which is what we called it when she sat up and stuck her little tongue out and panted real big.

Judy didn't know how to play when we got her. At first her toy was one of Dani's yard balls. I had a pair of leather gloves, when the gloves went on, she would get so excited. She knew she didn't have to worry about hurting me and she could really go at them. And when we'd play a little without the gloves, she was very careful not to nip me. The only time you could ever risk getting a bite from her was if you pulled her tail. That was a no no.

She'd follow Danielle around the house. If Danielle went into the bedroom and was gone for more than a few minutes, she'd be pawing for me to help her down off of the back of the couch, and then to put her up on the bed. Dani had to stay reasonably in her sight for her to be happy. Whenever Dani was sick, she'd stick close by her as if to watch over her. She'd crawl under the covers and snuggle up next to Dani's tummy. I believe she was a big part of Dani's heart improvement.

Judy used to sit on the back of the couch and watch us in the kitchen while we were cooking. She could only get up there with some help. We'd either set her up there, or she'd climb up one of us like a ladder when we were sitting on it. She was so intent on making sure she didn't miss out on any food. If she ever heard the sound of plastic rustling, she'd come running cause somebody must be opening up something that a little doggie would like to eat! She was definitely a little "Hoover" when it was mealtime. She'd climb up the stairs,

She always let us know when she needed to go outside and so never intentionally made a mess in the house. And she was smart too! She knew who "Danielle" was and "bunny rabbit", "paws up"

And spoiled, I could be walking by and she'd roll over expecting to "get some belly". She'd just lay back and grin! Once she did that while on back of the couch and rolled right off! Luckily I was there to catch her. I remember when we were building the house. She would come down with us and couldn't understand why we wanted to be in this cold noisy place. The day we got carpet, I had the house warm from the furnace and we brought her inside. The house had no furniture yet, just a big open great room. She came in and looked around and ran from one side of the room to the other and rolled around on the new carpet as if to say "Oh boy, Oh Boy!" this isn't so bad after all.

When she'd come back in from the rain I used to dry her little paws off, and her belly. She was so low to the ground that it got wet from the grass. It was then time to go and lay in front of the heat vent, or if it was in the winter, we had the electric space heater set up for her.

When we were living at the apartment before the house was built, she loved to go for walks around the complex. We'd stop off at the mailbox station and she'd bark at everyone there. She never did try to bite anyone. She just wanted to say Hello, to the people anyway. She didn't want anything to do with other dogs. I mean she wasn't a Dog! We stopped in at pet store once to see the puppy Chihuahua's, and she didn't want anything to do with them. This is when we were contemplating getting her a little playmate so she would have some company during the day. Dani and I would take her to a nearby park and let her run on the soccer field. She was so cute, she'd run to me and run to Dani.

I remember once we were at Home Depot and some small Mexican children were trying to talk to her in Spanish. This was about the time of the Taco Bell commercials with the little Chihuahua. It was so funny.
She didn't like getting a bath. The tub never worked well and the sink at the apartment was too small. I used to take her in the shower with me and hold her while I washed her. When I finished, Dani would come and get her and take her into the living room where the space heater was running. She's spread out the towel and Judy would roll around on it and get dry and warm.

She also did like getting a pawdicure. Most of the time we had the vet do it, but I had been learning to do a pretty good job of it. Of course it took both of us. Danielle had to hold her while I clipped. Otherwise she had a tendency to move which left the possibility open to hurting her. Couldn't have that.
When we would go outside for a walk she'd romp around in the grass and then trot on down the driveway stopping to sniff everything while she went. So it always took awhile to get down the driveway and back.

We went to a friends wedding in Charleston and of course, Judy went too. Not to the actual wedding ceremony, but she did get to go. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Riverview. We had a balcony over looking the river and Judy would go out there and looook around! We were sightseeing and happened across a park with a pond. Dani and Judy went for a walk around it. We have some good pictures of the 2 of them there.

I had a Harley at the time and Judy knew the sound it made. Once she heard one while she was out with Danielle and started wagging her tail and trying to get in the window to see me. She'd always come running when she heard me coming down the road. My friend has a Honda, Judy would bark at it, and for that matter she barked at all Jap bikes. I remember the time we went to bike week at Myrtle Beach, and yes she was there too. We took the bike out on a Saturday afternoon. Judy sat behind me in Dani's lap and arms. She'd put her little paw on my back, and lean around to look down the road. She was a little Harley Doggie. More than a few people did a double take as they rode by us that day.

So many memories I have, so few pictures, or so I feel. We never had a family portrait of us taken. It seems so stupid that we never did that, and now how I wish that we had. We loved her as much as we could, and gave her what I think was the best life a little doggie could have ever hoped for. Her love for us was unconditional, and we lived our lives around making sure that our little girl didn't want for anything.

She has touched our hearts and left us forever missing her. She will not be forgotten.