I have been needing to blog about Kramer...but it's been hard to think of what to say.
We unexpectantly had to put Kramer to sleep a few weeks ago. He was young, only 8 1/2 years old. He was really healthy...but the day after Thanksgiving we got a call from Bob (Kramer was staying with Nana and Papa) that he had a stroke. It ended up not being a stroke (or so they thought) and he spent the whole weekend at the vet having tests done. Basically, they thought it was a liver issue so we put him on special food and medicine for his liver.
Long story short, the following Friday night, Rob woke up and he was having another stroke. However, this time, apparently he had a blood clot in his brain. So he couldn't pick his head up. It was honestly one of the hardest mornings of our lives. So in the end, the vet said he would need to be put down because of the clot in his brain. He would never have been able to stand up again.
We didn't let the kids seem him at the end or say goodbye because it was really hard to see him at the end and we didn't want the girls to see him. Rob took Kramer and was with him at the end. He had his favorite red bed and his favorite skunk with him...we knew those made him happy.
I had no clue how hard it was to lose a pet. I had lost our dog, but by the time my parents lost Schatzee, I was living on my own. So this is my first experience losing a pet. I thought I'd be sad, but no clue how sad I'd be. It really has been one of the hardest things I've experienced. I thought, "It's a dog...I'll be sad, but I'll be fine." But weeks later, I still haven't gotten through a day without tears. It's crazy how much a part of our life Kramer was.
Rob and I got him about a year after we got married. His bday was 1 year and 10 days after our anniversary. I saw him in a pet store and fell in love. Rob didn't tell me, but he went to the pet store and talked to the owner...and then came home and said we could get him. We went to pick him up and were going to name him Mizuno (the running shoe we both wore)...but when we got there, he had crazy hair and we both said "Kramer!" The pet store told us we didn't want him because he had an overbite...it was one of our favorite parts of him!!!
For the first few years we had Kramer, he was our baby. He was the most spoiled dog that lived. He went to doggy day care 2 days a week where I literally could watch him playing with his "friends' while I was at work. And the days he wasn't there, he had a pet walker.
He was the center of our Xmas card. He had a better wardrobe than me (life jacket, letterman jacket, Christmas sweater that lights up, Halloween costumes, boots, etc). We went a little crazy! We would take him to doggy classes (which he failed out of twice :) ) and as soon as we'd get home, he'd get his bath.
Obviously, when kids came along, he became our "dog". Less walks, less clothes, less attention. However, he was still the BEST dog for our family. He was so gentle with the kids. They would pull at him, grab him, hit him...and he never got mad. He loved going to the cabin with Nana and Papa...and was definitely Papa's buddy, especially after they lost Pasta.
There are so many things I miss about Kramer. I miss him sleeping in the nook of my legs. I miss coming home and him running to the top of the stairs to see me. I miss taking him for walks. And my floors miss him...because there is food all over our floors now..I never realized how much he ate off the floor! :) I miss how he made his way into EVERY picture we took..he is the original photo bomber!
Of course, Kramer was a pain in the butt! He ate food off our tables. He peed in our carpet. He ate out of the garbage can..and baby diapers. He barked at the neighbors dogs every day for the 6 years he lived here. But, he was our pain in the butt and we sure miss him.
The girls have a LOT of questions and we've done our best to answer them. They know he's in heaven with great grandma and he's happy there because he's not in pain. The saddest question was when Caitlin asked me who was going to clip his nails in heaven...those are the times I get sad. And he has Christmas presents under the tree already (we actually bought him gifts early this year...and Abigail bought him gifts at Secret Santa too) which will be really sad. Abigail wants to send them to heaven...not sure how that's going to happen but we'll figure out a way.
Kramie....we sure miss you! You were not a GREAT dog...but you were a GREAT dog for us! :) We hope you are chasing skunks up in heaven...that don't spray you back! We hope you are running in circles to get your treats (when he wanted a treat, he would run in circles). We hope you are going for long walks. Thank you for being there for us for 9 years. Thank you for watching over the girls, especially when we would bring a baby home from the hospital and you would sit at the foot of their crib and protect them. Thank you for being a constant companion, especially when Rob was gone for the night and I never felt scared to be home alone because you were there with me..even though I knew if someone broke in, you'd probably just lick them! You are irreplacable! We love you...you will always be our family pet!!!! We hope you hear the girls prayers, they pray for you every night! We love you, Kramie!
The original photo bomber!
Such a good sport when the girls would play with you!
Kramie...our dog forever!!!!!!
