Marley & Me - Grab The Tissues

OK, so, have you watched this movie yet? Marley & Me.........
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I've been wanting to rent it for a while now, but I knew I had to be in "just the right mood" to watch it. I'd been told it's enough of a tear-jerker that grown men were getting a little misty-eyed in the theatres.
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Well, I went through eight tissues. Filled them all.
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Although we never had a dog that was quite as rambunctious and destructive as Marley, I certainly had my fair share of pets around home while I was growing up, and we presently are on Canines #5 & #6 in the Found family.
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Just a side note here, did you know that the word rambunctious is NOT in my Oxford Dictionary??? I'm shocked. I knew it was a word, but it was no where to be found. So I looked it up online. And there it was. It IS a word!
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Anyways, back to my point. I have visited the vet on many occasions to have a pet "put down". I always stayed with them as they passed. I couldn't imagine not being there with them, talking to them as they drifted from this life into eternity.... goin' to see Jesus.
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OK, now for those of you who want to debate this fact.... don't bother! I don't want to hear it. I like to think that my pets are in a better place and that I will see them again one day, and if you can't choose to believe that for yourself, well that's all fine and dandy, but don't preach to me how you think that will not be the case. You're not God and you don't know for sure, so with all due respect, BUTTON IT.
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[sigh]
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Now.... where was I?
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Oh yes, at the vet's office. So, the doctors have ALWAYS been so compassionate with me when "the time came", and sometimes I've been so upset, I've almost had the doctors misty-eyed.
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We would bring our dogs back to my parents' property and wrap them in an old blanket (to keep them warm.... just like the guy said in the movie!.... See? I'm NOT weird!) and then we'd bury them in The Pet Cemetery. No way I can count the doggies and the kitties out there. Too many. Maybe the dogs I could recollect, but certainly not the cats. Waaaaay too many.
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Some people just don't understand the bond that folks have with their pets. Even Duke, one of our dogs. I am SURE this creature lost some oxygen during birth. Sometimes he's dumber than a doorknob. But he loves me. Unconditionally. A dog is truly man's best friend. You can yell at him, but if you call him, he's right there back by your side, waiting for that pat on the head or that tummy rub.
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At one point in the movie, the guy lays down on the floor beside Marley in front of the fireplace. That made me think of our dog Shiloh. She was Jon's and my first Golden Retriever. She was amazing and we loved her so much. She became very ill and was later diagnosed with leukemia. I remember one time Jon was on the road in the transport and Blake & Jake were tucked into their beds (Jared wasn't around at that time, but we found out later that I was actually just pregnant with him, and didn't know until after Shiloh died).... ok, back on track..... so Jon was away, kids were in bed, and I just laid down on the kitchen floor beside Shiloh, who was too tired to basically even lift her little head, and I pet her and cuddled her and just cried and cried and cried. (Oh man, the waterworks are here again..... get a grip, Michelle).
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Gosh I miss her.
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Then we were able to adopt a large, VERY large (in fact, overweight) Goldie from Ottawa. His name was Zachery. Zach had a canine friend who was also looking for a home, so Jon said, "Gee, I hate to split them up...." So we came home with TWO dogs. Bear was her name. She was a mixed breed that was mainly Lab. We only had Zach about five years and he died of a heart attack. Bear stuck around for 12 years and we had to put her down as she couldn't walk anymore, had bladder trouble, etc. I used to put a Depends Diaper on her for when she was in the house. I'd cut a hole in the back of the diaper for her tail and she'd wag and wag and wag that tail, I had a hard time catching it to stick through the hole in the diaper. I diapered her for probably half a year, only because she kept wagging that ol' tail and I knew she was happy to still be alive, despite her weaknesses; however, the day came when we knew she couldn't go on any longer. Poor Jarey took it the hardest, I think. Bear had been here since before he was born. The vet even came out to the van to put her down, just to make it easier for her. And that way, we were all able to be with her as she passed.
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Just after Zach had died, we got a new Golden Retriever puppy, hoping Bear would help train this dog and also hoping the new puppy would help Bear get over her grieving for Zach (by the way, dogs DO grieve..... I witnessed it!). This new Retriever was called Ezekiel.... Zeke for short. He was an AMAZINGLY beautiful dog, even the vet commented on his beautiful features and amazing body. When Zeke was six years old, we came home to find him dead on the rec-room floor. We didn't have extra money for an autopsy to be performed, so we just figured his heart gave out. He had been sick earlier that year, but was coming along better. God knew he'd had enough, though.
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So... imagine THIS...... Zeke dies on Saturday afternoon around 1pm-ish. Bear has to be put down the very next day! Approximately 25 hours later! Can you imagine the tears and snot in this house from me and Jon and the three boys??? Oh it was a wicked wicked weekend. So much pain. So, Sunday afternoon, after Bear is buried at the Fraser Pet Cemetery, Jon drives us to Cobourg to pick up a new Golden Retriever puppy...... (that'd be Duke, our present Retriever).
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But alas! While we're there (at this puppy factory...... once we arrived, we realized the conditions were terrible and we felt we needed to save this puppy from it's owners.....), there is another Retriever, Mick, that is about ten months old and the owners are giving him away! (Mick is Duke's half brother and also his uncle.... don't ask!). So Jon goes up to Mick and they create an instant bond. Jon says, "We'll take them both!"
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l-r Mick & Duke
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So in a matter of about 30 hours, we go from two dogs to one dog to no dogs to one dog to two dogs. Four dogs in a 30-hour period. Only here on Found's Funny Farm!
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We've had Mick & Duke for three years now, and although they try my patience, they're not as crazy as Marley. Like children, they're adorable when they're sleeping and I can't resist crawling over to them as they lay on the floor and plant a kiss on their face and then bury my face in their coats. (Except Micky.... lately he's a stinky boy and so he just gets a kiss and pet.... no face burying).
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I treasure our pets and I feel sorry for the man who beats his dog because I think the Lord will have a word or two to say to him someday.
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So as I close, if you have not watched Marley & Me, go and rent it. I know I've given a few details away, but it's still worth watching. And the rest of the movie is also significant in showing the relationship of a couple that grows into a family. I could relate to many things in their lives. You might too.
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So go rent the movie.
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And don't forget the tissues. You're gonna need 'em.