One of a Kind

Eleven years. That's how long we had our precious pup, Timber. I remember the day I picked him out. I picked him up and my friend (the breeder) told me he was already taken. He was the only boy and the runt of the litter, and I wanted him. I reluctantly picked a girl and went home to wait for the day we could bring our new "child" home. A week later my friend called to tell me that the family that had originally picked the boy dog decided against getting a dog altogether. She then offered him to us. And we said, "YES!" A few days later we took him home, and we named him...Timber.

For the first two years of his life, he was spoiled!!! Rotten. I even have a photo album of nothing but Timber. We took video footage of our boy and made our neighbors watch them. We took him camping, let him sleep in our bed, and fed him steak.

Then came the kids. My dad told me that I would forget about Timber. "No, I won't! He's our baby!" But little by little, he got less and less attention. No more videos, no more sleeping in our bed, no more steak. Now it was left over baby food. But no matter how much attention we didn't give him. He still loved us. Still ran to the door when we came into the house. Still cuddled with us on the couch while we watched a movie. And still tried to hop on the bed at night.

As the kids started getting older, Timber starting getting more love again. The kids would dress him up in their dress up, play ball with him, and let him sleep with them in their beds. Occasionally, he would get a scrap or two from the table. Who am I kidding? That happened all the time! His favorite sibling....Ellen. And boy did she love him back. She had to have him in her bed every night and loved to talk to him about anything and everything.

Last year, Timber's health started to decline. He had surgery to try to fix the problem, but the problem resurfaced and this time it was worse. Last week, Joel and I had to make a decision that we didn't want to make, and we said goodbye to our beloved Timber.

I never thought that a decision like that would be so hard. Really, we are talking about a dog here! Not a human. But this dog, was a special part of our family. Katheryn and I took it the hardest.Ellen hasn't quite grasped the finality of the event and asks every morning, "Whez Timmer?" I still listen for the sound of his collar jingling as we walk into the house and look for him on Ellen's bed every morning.

The funny thing is...Timber was loved by so many other people, too. Friends and family who knew Timber have shared in our grief. Tears have been shed all across the U.S. over this special dog. He was TRULY....one of a kind!!!

In loving memory of Timber

February 23, 2000 - March 13, 2011