Saying goodbye

Yesterday we had to make a very tough decision. Our 12 year old pit bull Hula has been in poor health for a couple months now. She came home one day limping, we gave her a few days to see of she had just pulled a muscle or hurt a toe, but she kept getting worse. We took her to the vet and he diagnosed her with a torn ACL.  He said it could take six to eight weeks to heal and to just keep her comfortable. She kept getting worse and worse, her good leg started to get weak and she lost weight quickly. At this point we knew that she was not going to get better and had to decide if her quality of life was still there or not. Yesterday we decided that she was in too much pain and that it was better for her to go to heaven to be with the rest of her dog friends. It was such a hard decision but I hope we kept her from suffering any more than she had too.

Chris and I had been married about 2 years when he told me he wanted to get a pit bull. We already had CJ, a healer cross and Hoffa, a rottweiler. I had never had experience with pit bulls and was a little nervous since I only knew their reputation. I think my mom and dad felt the same way when we told them too.

Chris found an add in the paper for pit bull puppies and we brought home Yeager. I was instantly in love. Yeager was the most unique dog I have ever met. He was sweet and loving, got along with everyone he met, animal and human alike but was very independent too. As long as he had his favorite toy he was happy as could be. Some of his favorite toys were a 12 pound bowling ball that he could carry around the farm in his mouth, a 2 foot long, 3 inch wide "stick" that he chewed in half and of course he met his match with the "kong'. He could chew for hours and hours. One day Chris and my dad went duck hunting and shot a duck that landed on the frozen pond. Neither of them wanted to venture out on the ice but with a few thrown rocks Yeager brought the duck back gently in his mouth and dropped it at Chris's feet. At that point my dad was won over. We lost Yeager in Novemeber of 2005 to liver cancer.

A couple years after Yeager came into our lives,  we met some people who also had pit bulls and were about to have a litter of puppies. We got first pick when they were born. We wanted a female to give Yeager a wife. Within a few weeks we brought Hula home. She found her place in the pack perfectly. Hula was just the sweetest dog, she always stepped back and let the other dogs eat first then went in for the left overs. I don't think in her 12 years that I ever saw her curl a lip or growl at anyone or anything.

Hula was about 10 years old when Pie was born. I wasn't sure what she would think since she had never been around children before. She wasn't too thrilled about tiny puppies so I was a bit nervous but she proved to be such a great friend to them. As the girls got bigger, Hula got more attention than I think she knew what to do with. She let them wrestle on her, hug and kiss her, dress her up in bunny ears, cover her up with blanket and play peek-a-boo. She would just lick their faces and loved their hugs. I am so grateful that she welcomed Pie and Sam into our pack too.

Now we are left with Lily the weenie dog and Lucy, the french bulldog who hates everyone. I know that I will want another big dog again but right now it's too soon and there is just no way to replace the incredible dog that was Hula.

July 2, 1998 - June 3, 2010