Emma was our first dog together. She was an amazing girl and was so loving. I thought I would take a few minutes and share with you all what made Emma so special to all of us.
Emma "Bear" Spies
Born: December 23, 2003
Passed Away: October 15, 2009
Born: December 23, 2003
Passed Away: October 15, 2009
We first met Emma when she was about 3 weeks old. At the time she was a tiny little girl with the cutest little white spot in the middle of her forehead. This white spot is how we used to tell her and Sophie (her sister) apart. The second time we visited Emma before bringing her home she had grown bigger and we could see why. Emma had developed a passion for eating, she had her whole head in the doggie bowl. We should have known then what we had to look forward to once we brought Emma home. For those of you who have read the book Marley and Me, Emma was Marley. A kind and loving dog who ate everything in sight.
When we first brought Emma home she cried so much (just like bringing home a newborn). I spent the first night with her sleeping on the floor of our kitchen. After several weeks she learned how to sleep on her own; of course this was only after a few rough nights for her parents. On the first night we decided to be strong and "let her cry it out" we finally gave in after an hour and went to get her only we couldn't find her. It turned out she was crying so much because she had cralwed behind our dryer and had gotten herself stuck. During this time Emma also grew and grew and grew. Quickly she earned her nickname Emma Bear because she had these massive paws on her, she looked just like a bear.
When Emma was about 7 months old we made our big move to Tucson and this is when her "Marleyisms" began to come out. First, while staying at our good friend's house while we transitioned from PHX to Tucson (sorry Matt and Georgia) Emma ate two orange trees, multiple bushes, and a bathroom rug. She moved on to bigger and better things once we were settled in our rental home; couches. Yes, she ate through our big blue couch. The joy of eating did not end there. Emma was well known for eating plants (apparently she did not like where we planted them, we had to replant a hibiscus plant 3 times). She also loved to eat full Costco pies, cookies, chocolate protein bars, brownies, Hershey kisses, full pounds of raw or cooked chicken and beef, not to mention lovely things like diapers and razor blades, yes razor blades! I think the one thing that took the cake for things Emma ate was a glass jar with Alaskan smoked salmon in it. Somehow Emma managed to get the glass jar off the counter without breaking it on the tile, take it over to the rug (because yes, eating it on the tile where it would be easy to clean would just not be good), break open the jar and consume the entire contents. I do think she ate several pieces of glass along with the fish.
In addition to Emma's eating habits she also, like Marley, had a fear of thunderstorms. As my nieces Caity and Lindsey fondly remember we all came home one evening after a thunderstorm to find our brand new leather couches, our off white comforter on our bed, and all our white walls covered in mud! The house was a mess, our comforter ruined, and Emma just sat there with a look of her face like "what? what did I do wrong?"
Finally, Emma had allergies, severe allergies. How do you know a dog has allergies you ask? Well, as we discovered there is such a thing as doggie dermatologists and just like for humans they do skin prick tests to determine allergies. We found out through this test that Emma was allergic to just about everything, especially Mesquite trees (which are in the front yard of almost every house in our neighborhood) and herself. Yes, herself. Through all the itching and scratching she would do because of her allergies she would create a dander on her skin that she was then allergic to. To deal with her allergies Emma had to be given bendryl two times a day, pills every weekend, and allergy shots once a week.
Despite all of this, Emma was the most amazing dog. I mean, what wasn't there to love. Emma was always there to greet us when we came home with a sock or toy in her mouth. She would bombard you with a wagging tail and lots of kisses. If you were upset she would run right over to you to snuggle. At night she would curl right up with you with her head on your pillow and snore. And, she loved kids, especially her baby sister Morgan. From the first day we brought Morgan home they were buddies. Together they enjoyed many naps and snuggles. Emma was one of Morgan's first words. She just loved her doggie. Every morning when she would wake up she would first call for Mommy and then she would begin calling for Emma. We would both go into Morgan's room together every morning to get her up. Morgan and Emma just loved to play together. They enjoyed playing tug-of-war and ball, but their favorite was racing each other through the house. We would push Morgan on her bike and Emma would run along beside her with the biggest smile on her face (yes, I feel Emma could smile). I think Emma's favorite thing of all though was playing ball with David. They had a game together (one I won't or can't forget because of all the marks on my walls) where he would throw a racketball at the wall and try to be the first to get it. Emma would play that game for hours. They first started playing it when she was just a baby and as she grew bigger she also grew much faster. As I said, she was an amazing and loving dog.
Donna and Charley are finding a resting place for Emma today. Last night I found Emma's blanket that we brought her home in and sent it with Donna to put with her. Emma will always be loved and missed.
We are leaving for our trip Saturday morning, so we have not had time to put together all Emma's photos. When we return we are hoping to put together a slideshow to post of Emma.
Love you all!
When we first brought Emma home she cried so much (just like bringing home a newborn). I spent the first night with her sleeping on the floor of our kitchen. After several weeks she learned how to sleep on her own; of course this was only after a few rough nights for her parents. On the first night we decided to be strong and "let her cry it out" we finally gave in after an hour and went to get her only we couldn't find her. It turned out she was crying so much because she had cralwed behind our dryer and had gotten herself stuck. During this time Emma also grew and grew and grew. Quickly she earned her nickname Emma Bear because she had these massive paws on her, she looked just like a bear.
When Emma was about 7 months old we made our big move to Tucson and this is when her "Marleyisms" began to come out. First, while staying at our good friend's house while we transitioned from PHX to Tucson (sorry Matt and Georgia) Emma ate two orange trees, multiple bushes, and a bathroom rug. She moved on to bigger and better things once we were settled in our rental home; couches. Yes, she ate through our big blue couch. The joy of eating did not end there. Emma was well known for eating plants (apparently she did not like where we planted them, we had to replant a hibiscus plant 3 times). She also loved to eat full Costco pies, cookies, chocolate protein bars, brownies, Hershey kisses, full pounds of raw or cooked chicken and beef, not to mention lovely things like diapers and razor blades, yes razor blades! I think the one thing that took the cake for things Emma ate was a glass jar with Alaskan smoked salmon in it. Somehow Emma managed to get the glass jar off the counter without breaking it on the tile, take it over to the rug (because yes, eating it on the tile where it would be easy to clean would just not be good), break open the jar and consume the entire contents. I do think she ate several pieces of glass along with the fish.
In addition to Emma's eating habits she also, like Marley, had a fear of thunderstorms. As my nieces Caity and Lindsey fondly remember we all came home one evening after a thunderstorm to find our brand new leather couches, our off white comforter on our bed, and all our white walls covered in mud! The house was a mess, our comforter ruined, and Emma just sat there with a look of her face like "what? what did I do wrong?"
Finally, Emma had allergies, severe allergies. How do you know a dog has allergies you ask? Well, as we discovered there is such a thing as doggie dermatologists and just like for humans they do skin prick tests to determine allergies. We found out through this test that Emma was allergic to just about everything, especially Mesquite trees (which are in the front yard of almost every house in our neighborhood) and herself. Yes, herself. Through all the itching and scratching she would do because of her allergies she would create a dander on her skin that she was then allergic to. To deal with her allergies Emma had to be given bendryl two times a day, pills every weekend, and allergy shots once a week.
Despite all of this, Emma was the most amazing dog. I mean, what wasn't there to love. Emma was always there to greet us when we came home with a sock or toy in her mouth. She would bombard you with a wagging tail and lots of kisses. If you were upset she would run right over to you to snuggle. At night she would curl right up with you with her head on your pillow and snore. And, she loved kids, especially her baby sister Morgan. From the first day we brought Morgan home they were buddies. Together they enjoyed many naps and snuggles. Emma was one of Morgan's first words. She just loved her doggie. Every morning when she would wake up she would first call for Mommy and then she would begin calling for Emma. We would both go into Morgan's room together every morning to get her up. Morgan and Emma just loved to play together. They enjoyed playing tug-of-war and ball, but their favorite was racing each other through the house. We would push Morgan on her bike and Emma would run along beside her with the biggest smile on her face (yes, I feel Emma could smile). I think Emma's favorite thing of all though was playing ball with David. They had a game together (one I won't or can't forget because of all the marks on my walls) where he would throw a racketball at the wall and try to be the first to get it. Emma would play that game for hours. They first started playing it when she was just a baby and as she grew bigger she also grew much faster. As I said, she was an amazing and loving dog.
Donna and Charley are finding a resting place for Emma today. Last night I found Emma's blanket that we brought her home in and sent it with Donna to put with her. Emma will always be loved and missed.
We are leaving for our trip Saturday morning, so we have not had time to put together all Emma's photos. When we return we are hoping to put together a slideshow to post of Emma.
Love you all!
I'm totally crying. I think losing your pet is just as hard, if not harder, than losing a relative. I'm so sorry for your loss!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss Lori!She sounds like such a great dog.
ReplyDeleteOh Lori! I had no idea. I'm so sorry for your loss. I know how special she was to you. I don't know what to say.
ReplyDelete