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It's with extreme sadness that I notify RAGOM that I helped Tanner 08-316, cross the Bridge early Saturday evening. Tanner started panting all of the time, much like Abby did, about 1.5 months ago. If my 11.5 year old bulldog and 15 and 12 year old cats weren't perfectly healthy, as well as myself, I might have thought it was something in my house. Tanner had numerous lab tests that showed nothing wrong but Thursday afternoon when I returned from the fair, his breathing was labored and faster than before. He had also started squinting his eyes quite a bit. I took him to the U on Friday morning and he was x-rayed, had an ultrasound, an echo cardiogram and more lab work. All came back normal and what the vets thought, including my own, was that it was something neurological but that would take an MRI to be sure and they couldn't do that until next week. Tanner was a big, beautiful goofball and I referred to him as my honeyboy. I only heard him bark four times, only one woof each time; three times it was at one of my cats while he had his nose under the diningroom table and his butt in the air, trying to get at him, and the other was at a squirrel up a tree. Yeah, he was quite the protector. :-) He loved to go for a ride and often tried to sit up front next to me. It was quite the sight seeing a 96 pound dog try to curl up in the passenger seat of my Jimmy. He was a countersurfer, got into the garbage if he had the chance, slept on my bed when I wasn't home, jumped on me when I came home and pawed at my arm, literally grasping it with his big mitt and pulling until I'd pet him. He'd do the same with friends. And whenever I'd call Molly, my bulldog, Tanner would come running and if Molly actually got a chance to get close to me, Tanner would squeeze inbetween us. He just wanted to be loved and I was more than happy to do it. On our walks it never failed that at least one person would stop to tell me how beautiful he was, and the groomers as well as everyone at the U said they wanted him and who wouldn't? There was an adjustment period when he first moved in, as there is with any new pet, but he literally had the very best temperament a person could ask for. I never heard him growl or saw him lift his lip, ever. Kids and pets alike could get in his face and he didn't bat an eye. Tanner was normally a very happy, exuberant dog. He was always smiling and wagging his tail, chewing on his bone or at my side pawing at me wanting to be pet. On our walks he was almost always trotting ahead of me, but lately he had actually been lagging behind and the last few days he was very quiet and spent most of his time sleeping. By Friday evening I noticed Tanner wasn't quite as steady on his feet and when he'd walk, his steps were very deliberate. By early Saturday evening, Tanner had stumbled several times and almost fell over when he came to sit by my t.v. tray. I couldn't bare to watch this big, beautiful animal suffer any longer and after numerous, at length conversations with my vet, as well as those at the U, I made the decision to help him cross the Bridge. It was a very peaceful experience and I know without a doubt that I made the right decision, but it still hurts like hell. I was Tanner's third home and I was soo looking forward to spending the next several years giving him all the love and attention he deserved, but it was cut short to less than 4 months. I feel robbed, but even moreso for Tanner because he was only 7 years old. There is a 96 pound hole in my heart and my house just isn't the same. My time with Tanner was much too short but as I told him last night when I held his beautiful head as he crossed the Bridge, 'I love you Tanner and I'm grateful for you!' Thank you RAGOM, for trusting Tanner in my care!
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