Goodbye Our Sweet Shakespeare

[JeannieCO]

Oh he was beautiful. I'm so sorry for your loss Stu. I didn't realize he had passed when I stopped by your profile page. May he be chasing hoses and sprinkler heads with Beefcake and Maggie.

 

[DudleysMom]

Oh Diana, I am so sorry. I can't stop crying for you all. Your tribute made me wish I had known your Shakey. Such a wonderful, loving baby. How lucky for you and Shakey that you found each other. I know you are heartbroken, but your boy had such love with you and your family -- and he gave so much love to you. Dudley and I are sending our love and prayers.

 

[Libra926]

When you have the time....write down his antics. Each time a memory comes, write it down. You have a beautiful way with words. One day, in Shakey's honor.....you can put together a book. You could donated the proceeds to the rescue that brought that beautiful boy into your life.

I'm so very sorry for your loss. I'd really love to hear more about this special boy.

 

[Dextermommasbaby]

It is amazing how these precious babies touch our souls and capture our hearts. I had to take a break while reading your story because I was so grief stricken. I am so very sorry for your loss but so thankful your sweet Shakey found what true furever love is! Shakey may you rest in peace and have an abundance of garden hoses and sprinklers to choose from.

 

[Davidh]

So sorry for your loss, he was a beautiful bully. May he rest in peace.

 

[bullmama]

What a beautiful tribute to his memory, I could almost feel his presence and walk in your shoes through your words, I could feel your sorrow, he was so beautiful.... RIP Shakespeare

 

[cali baker]

Thank you for sharing a part of Shakey with us, in the form of this loving tribute. May he rest in peace.

 

[RipleyandBentley]

So sooty for your loss, my thoughts and prayers go out to you. What a beautiful memorial you wrote about Shakespeare, tears are rolling down my face and I feel your loss..

 

[izstigspunks]

I'm so very sorry. Shakey had such a beautiful spirit. Thank you for showing him what true love is. May the happy memories and life lessons ease your pain in this difficult time. xoxo

 

[Ftse 100]

I am so very saddened for your loss of Shakey, your tribute to him is a picture of the happy life he had with you and your family with him.

RIP Sweet baby boy

 

[Tkelley]

I'm so sorry for your sudden loss. It sounds like Shakey found the miracle he needed in your family. Big hugs to all of you.

 

[airmike1]

It is with a sense of shock, surrealness, and an almost unbearable sadness that I type that our Shakey left us suddenly last Tuesday late afternoon. Other than the allergies that he’d had during our time with him, his vet visits always checked out fine and he appeared to be in good health. Something went wrong with his poor little heart and he left us quickly. I was still at work but George gave him CPR for more than 30 minutes before he finally realized that our boy wasn’t coming back to us. It’s the suddenness of it all that makes me feel like I can’t breathe.

Shakey came into our lives in 2011 after having lost our first Bully boy, Beefcake to a brain tumor and our Great Pyrenees, Maggie to complications of old age. We lost Beefy in July and Maggie in October. It was quite the blow to our family and we were spinning with our grief. While losing Maggie was tough, she had lived a long wonderful life, so we were more at peace with her passing. Beefcake on the other hand was only eight and after a year of struggling to get his IBD under control and just beginning to feel like he was actually enjoying life again, to then lose him to a tumor, seemed very unfair to him and us.

We made the decision that we wanted to do something to honor Beefcake’s memory and decided that adopting a rescue bully who had had a rough start in life and hadn't experienced the love that our Beefy had would be such a great honor to Beefcake and bring solace to us. While we were hesitant that it might be too soon to bring in a new furry family member, I found myself looking online and there was a picture of our Shakey. I read his story and knew that I wanted him to be a part of our family. When we met the folks at Almost Home (especially Amy) we knew that we had found the right rescue to adopt through.

We met Shakey the first time at an adoption event and took him for a walk. He kept wanting to go into all of the stores in the shopping center. George laughed and said “A dog that likes to shop, this is meant to be.” The Paws on the Patio event was soon to come and we made arrangements to spend some more time with Shakey at that event. We walked around the area, sat and talked to him, and loved on him. I remember looking into his beautiful eyes and feeling that he was an old soul. There was gentleness, kindness, and a wisdom in those eyes beyond what I’d ever seen in a dog before. I felt that way then and I felt that way the entire time we were blessed to have him in our lives, I feel that way now. After our walk we decided to have lunch on the patio and I knew George was hooked as I listened to him talk to him in baby talk and painstakingly cut the lettuce in Shakey’s salad so that it would be easier for him to eat. We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt after that visit that we wanted him to come home with us.

Shakey came home to live with us shortly after Thanksgiving in 2011. There was no transition period. Sam and Stu accepted him into the pack seamlessly and he was a model citizen. I think Sam was still mourning the loss of his two friends and Shakey helped bring him out of his depression.

Life fell into a routine (a crazy routine, but a routine). People say that you never fully appreciate what you have until it’s gone. That wasn’t the case with Shakey, we knew how blessed we were to have him in our lives and I thought about it on a regular basis. His antics could make me laugh more than any other. Even a short walk to the mailbox was an adventure for our Shakey. He went from not understanding what toys were, to expecting a toy anytime I came home from the store with bags. He'd sit staring at me patiently with a look of "Where's my goody mom?" He so loved our granddaughter Peyton (and she him) and would get soooo excited when she'd come over. That little nub of his would wag a mile a minute! Car rides never seemed to grow old to him. He was always excited like it was his first time and I loved how he took joy in the simplest of things. He taught me a great lesson about cherishing every moment and I reveled at looking at things through his innocent, un-jaded eyes. On car rides we thought of him as our little co-pilot. He loved water and looked forward to the warmer months when he could spend time in and out of the little pool. We found that frequent, gentle baths helped with the itching due to his allergies and so he came to love those too. He'd give the cutest little moan and sink down into the warm water. He loved to lie on the family room couch and he'd place his little head on my leg. We would sit like that for hours sometimes. He never met another animal he didn't like and he was ever so patient with the constant stream of foster kittens that came in and out of the house. He was a creature of comfort and he loved his doggy beds (the cat beds too). We recently purchased some wind chimes and he seemed to love to lay and listen to them. We were planning a trip to the beach for him sometime soon and I know that would have been quite the adventure for him. Most of all he taught me about the power of love, forgiveness, and resiliency. His early years weren’t the best, but he forgave, moved on, and trusted and loved us unconditionally. If I wrote down everything this little man taught me I’d have a book.

Like all of us, our Shakey wasn’t perfect. He had an obsession with garden hoses and sprinkler heads. What we finally came to realize is that the obsession was more about his love of water than the actual hose and sprinkler heads. He loved running through the sprinklers and when they weren’t on he’d bite at them. We figured out that he was trying to get water to come out. We took all of this in stride and worked around it. We made sure the hose was up when Shakey was outside and we’d distract him if we saw that he was zeroing in on a sprinkler head. Shakey also had a dislike for the sound of fireworks. 4[SUP]th[/SUP] of July was not on his list of top ten occasions. Fireworks on television had the same effect as the real thing.

When George first called me to let me know what had happened, my first emotion was disbelief. It couldn’t be true. The sadness kicked in quickly. Then I was angry that we’d lost something so precious, way too soon. I met George at the vets office and I was able to quietly see my boy one last time, tell him how much I loved him and how much he had changed my life. I was able to hug him, pet his beautiful white fur, his soft black nose and lips, and his spotted ears that I adored so much. Leaving him there was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Now it’s just a complete sense of loss and emptiness. What I’ve come to realize in the last day and a half though is that while our time with Shakey wasn’t nearly long enough, it was two years filled with a lifetime of love, laughter, and such joy. This little dog taught me more in two years then I’d learned in the many years leading up to being blessed with his presence. He and our Beefcake were the catalysts that got us started fostering and trying to educate the public on responsible pet ownership. I know you’ve all heard this before, but Shakey the rescue dog was my miracle. He rescued me during a time when I dearly needed rescuing. While life seems quiet and empty without him right now (our other furkids are mourning. Each in their own way), and while he left us too soon, my God what a blessing to have had him even for the short time we did.

Rest in Peace my sweet boy and thank you for being my MIRACLE. I know Beefcake and Maggie were there to greet you and we’ll all be together some day over the Rainbow Bridge.
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Shakey had the best parents and thank you for sharing your beautiful tribute for him. I totally envisioned his two years with your family.

Something about the personality of our bulldogs just lights up our souls and teaches us unconditional love in their own unique way.

When Winston passed away over 2 years ago, that moment changed my life...but in a very good way. Now Elliott, who is different in Winston's ways is bringing me the best memories.

God bless you Jennifer, and your family :-)

 

[GunnyHighway]

I am so very sorry for you loss of Shakey. He will be in your heart forever! That was an absolutely touching memorial and it shows how strong of a love you have for Shakey.

 

[Rural mystic]

My condolences

 

[Bazza]

Lovely Tribute to Shaky, so glad he found such a loving family and knew what it was like to be loved. So sorry for your loss, you did a beautiful thing by rescuing Shaking.