Savannah Norris Ring

I remember the day I first met Savannah. It was the first day I met Kyle. It was five years and 363 days ago.

Kyle and I moved in together about a year later. Savannah got moved from the end of Kyle's bed to the bedroom floor. And then eventually relocated to the living room. And there's been days I've considered making her an outside dog! Either way, whenever I would come home from work, she would greet me at the door wagging her tail.

I remember when we would take her to the park. It was a wide-open area behind the Indianapolis Art Museum. We would have acres just to ourselves. We would throw a tennis ball as far as we could and she would just take off!

She loved car rides. She would stick her whole head out the window and let her big ears flop in the air. I remember it being below freezing and she would still want to stick her head out the window. Eventually it would get too cold and she would have to bring her head in. And she would have a big grin stuck to her face.

If it was raining she would stick her head out in the rain. And when she brought it in she would shake all the rain off inside my car.

I would give her a bone and she would chew it up in minutes. If I offered her a treat she would come running to me and stand on her back legs and hop up and down.

Though I never liked dogs, especially big ones. Somehow Savannah found a place in my heart.

I remember Kyle getting home from school one day, I was so excited to show him that Savannah had learned how to sit, stay and come all in one day.

I've never realized how much I've overlooked my relationship with my dog. You forget that you see your dog more than you see your friends and most of your family. I admit that I referred to her as my red headed step dog, when in actuality she's the first animal I've ever actually loved.

She has been an amazing dog. She showed guilt when she did something wrong, but those times were so few and far between. It would be hard to get mad at her, because she was such a sensitive dog.

They say the hardest day of owning a pet is the day you have to say goodbye.

Bones now make Savannah's  stomach sick. She can't see the tennis ball to run after it. Her back legs can no longer hold her weight. And I don't think she can hear many of my commands. Her tail no longer wags. And she falls over when she tries to shake off water. She doesn't even lift her head from her bed when we get home.

Last night Savannah got to sleep in our bed. Today we dropped Lucy off at day care, and left Reggie at home. We took Savannah to the park and let her sniff out the perimeter. She got to strut around Pet smart (and not have to get groomed - she hates that part). We got her her own cheeseburger and french fries from McDonald's and a side of whip cream from Starbucks. The three of us laid in bed. Savannah laid on Kyle's arm, while Kyle and I shared stories reminiscing about what a great dog she's been.

We took her to the vet and they confirmed what we already knew; dog's grow old.

Kyle and I said goodbye. Kyle and I kept petting her big floppy ears and told her how much we loved her and what a good dog she is; while the veterinarian injected the medicine to take away her pain. And Savannah went to sleep.

I will miss Savannah deeply. And I know Kyle will too. Lucy is too young to understand. And It breaks my heart to think about Reggie. Though Savannah wanted nothing to do with Reggie, she was always his best friend.

Today's a sad day in the Ring house as we lost a very special family member! We will miss you my little pup pup!

“Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.”
~Marley and Me

See next post for lots of great doggie pics

Savannah Through the Years...

Savannah and Kyle at the lake (one of her favorite places)

Savannah and her favorite toy.. before Reggie eventually tore it up :(

Head of security at our White River house!

The day my mom got her Honda Fit

 

Even Kyle looks a lot younger in this one!

Savannah and her "brother"

Savannah with her ears flopping in the wind

Chewing on a tennis ball... She used to hoard all the tennis balls from Reggie!

Just chilling on our bed

Oct 2011

 

 

Spooning with Reggie

She always had a thing for ducks!

 

Testing out the new Xterra

The day Lucy was born

Thanksgiving 2012

Taking a nap with me

 

Lucy's cuddle buddy

 

Finishing up her cheeseburger!

 

Today at the park



 

 

 

Big Brother, Reggie

I walked to school (uphill, both ways). My friends used to laugh at me, because if there was a dog walking towards us (even if it was leashed, with it's owner, and smaller than a loaf of bread), I'd cross the street to avoid having to walk anywhere near the dog. Yes, I did this even as a sophomore in High School. I was afraid of dogs. I never understood how anyone could "love" a dog.

Well, that all changed, once this guy came into my life:

Reggie is still a puppy, he'll turn 2 in July. We were a little worried about how Reggie would do once Lucy got here. Would he be jealous? Too much energy? Would we have to give Lucy back?

When I went into labor, my parents picked up Reggie and Savannah and brought the pups to their house for two or three days. In fact, my mom sent me a photo of their car ride with the dogs:

Someone at my parents house must have given Reggie a pep-talk. Because, he is so timid and gentle around Lucy. There's a totally different side of him that I had never seen before. He likes to smell her feet and share his toys with her. His favorite is to drop a toy on her while she's on her playmat. I think that in a few years, they're going to be the best of friends.

Reggie meets Lucy

Reggie waiting as I feed Lucy

Somedays I feel guilty, a lot of my "Reggie-time" has become "Lucy-time", but somehow he seems to let me know that he understands.

My "first child"

Our first i-phones

Saturday morning Kyle and I each activated our new i-phone 4s. Pretty much I've been playing on mine all weekend. My favorite thing so far is the camera. I liked the camera on the palm pre, but it never gave me pictures like these:

Yes, that's a pile of pregnancy books on the nightstand...

Savannah's Clean Bill of Health

I was a bit nervous taking both dogs to the vet by myself. Last time, Kyle took them, and Savannah decided to provide a stool sample in the middle of the waiting room.

Lucky for me, this time she did much better. Though, maybe it's a good thing Savannah has lost a few pounds, since I had to lift her into the car. 

The vet took them back individually; they had trouble getting Reggie to stay still on the scale. They even recommended we rename him "wiggles". This is even more humorous to us, since that is what Kyle and I have said all along. Both dogs got a distemper shot and heartworm check. Since Savannah has been losing so much weight, the doctor checked a stool sample.

Well, they both got perfect report cards (hopefully this little spleckle follows their lead). Neither dog had heartworm (thank goodness) and Savannah's stool sample came back healthy. He said that she is getting old, and not to worry as long as she's eating properly, and still has an upbeat attitude. He recommended we pick up some plain nonfat yogurt (the stuff that Kyle and I accidently bought once, and had to throw out because it tasted awful) and mix a tablespoon in with her food to help keep good bacteria in her system.

We really like our vet. He's nice, knowledgeable and affordable. He spends plenty of time explaining and answering questions. 

Savannah and Kyle at "the lake"

P.S. I still don't think that I'll be able eat angel hair pasta any time in the near future... 

Morning Sickness

Last weekend the Grose's were in town for a fishing contest that my dad came up with. Uncle Marty won and my dad came in second. Even Theresa was out there with a fishing pole! The guys (Marty, dad, Matthew, and Danny) took a break to come over our house to help Kyle move a shed. I wasn't allowed to help, as I've been put on orders not to try to lift anything heavy. Anyhow, uncle Marty noticed something that I had been thinking. Savannah has been losing a lot of weight!

Savannah (our 11 year old puppy) has been losing weight (25 pounds in 9 months to be exact). I was hoping that it was because since we've had Reggie, she's been getting less "people food" and going for more walks, but 25 pounds seems like a lot for an 80 pound dog. I looked into causes for rapid weight loss in dogs online and found that heartworm is a common cause. I googled heartworm and went to images and had my first case of morning sickness. I still feel ill to my stomach after seeing the images! 

I guess that's not the type of morning sickness that I'm suppose to be experiencing, but if pregnancy morning sickness is even half as bad as I felt when I saw those images, I think I'm just fine without it.

We're taking Savannah and Reggie both to the vet next Tuesday and getting them back on heartworm prevention medication STAT.