Tanner
When I was 10 years old, my parents promised me a dog. However, it
took two months for us to find just the right one, as we wanted to rescue
one from the pound. One day, my parents went to the pound while I was
at school. As they were parking, someone else pulled in next to them,
and they saw a scruffy little face pressed against the window.
'Wouldn't it be great if that lady was putting him up for adoption?' my mom
thought. Well, as soon as they got inside, in came the lady with the
dog. They followed him to his cage, and were first on the list for
adoption. I remember the day they brought him home...
I was in the driveway, 'helping' my dad work on our van, when my mom pulled
up in our blue 'oldies' car. She had a big grin on her face, and
before I could ask her what she was so happy about, she opened the car door
and out jumped Tanner with a big blue bow on! I think I might have
actually squealed. Well we got him inside and I was instantly in love.
I named him Tanner because of an old children's book I read that had a dog
in it by that name.
Of course, nothing would do except that he had to sleep on my bed with me.
Sure, his doggy bed took up a lot of space, but I wouldn't have had it any
other way. Eventually, the doggy bed fell by the wayside, and he just
snuggled under the covers. Sure, it kept me warm, but if I dared move,
he'd growl and let me know he was having none of that. Made it a bit
hard to get comfortable some nights.
Oh we had some times. Tanner absolutely loved going to the beach and would
run around so fast there would be sand flying behind him, kicked up by his
little paws. He also had a weakness for cheese. I don't know how
he'd know, but any time I opened up a block of cheese, he'd come running
from wherever he was in the house and sit there looking at me, as if to say
'Well? Where's my piece?' He also loved to pester my
grandmother's dog Sophie, and adorable curly mutt who was getting along in
years. She mostly ignored him. After Sophie passed away, Tanner
was the top dog.
The years passed by, and eventually I moved out of my parents' house into my
own apartment. Because of the hours I worked, I decided to leave
Tanner with my parents. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to
make, but I didn't feel it would have been fair to bring him with me when I
would hardly be there. Besides, by that time he was getting old, and
it was better to let him stay somewhere familiar.
As happens with us all, his health began to decline, and it finally came to
the point where we decided it would be better to end his suffering. I
felt like the ultimate traitor, but the decision was made. We took him
to the Burien Veterinary Hospital, and I think I was crying from the moment
we stepped in the door to the moment I left with Tanner's collar in my
hands. I chose to be with him until the end ... and it was hard.
I just didn't want him to be alone in his last moments.
I am more grateful than I can say to the Doctors and Staff at Burien
Veterinary Hospital for having Tanner memorialized on this site. Even
though it's been over a year, I still miss him deeply. He was my
'puppy baby boy'.
The Adams Family
