Everybody says to be grateful for all the good times we had. Be grateful that he lived a long and happy life, almost two years more (!) than when we thought we'd lose him to cancer. And I am grateful. Matt says that if we remember him, he will live on and on. So I started a list of all the things I love(d) about Spumoni. I started it while he was still with us, petting him and typing with tears filling my eyes while we waited for the vet to come to our home to help end his life peacefully on his dog bed, in his favorite spot in our family room, with Matt and I around him loving on him, petting him. He always hated going to the vet. I'm glad Matt learned about this at-home option, and that he was calm and peaceful up until the end. I started writing and I couldn't stop. Like with the other blog memories I write, it felt like if I documented it I could somehow keep it safe. And not forget. And hold on forever. I love you so much Spumoni. Thank you for being the best dog ever. I will never forget you.
Things I love about Spumoni
How he sleeps with his looooong legs stretched all the way out
How he would “knock” on the door when he wanted to come in or out
His webbed feet
How he loves to dig in the sand & water
How he sniffs the water and walks around digging instead of swimming
How he swims after ducks until he is in the middle of the pond
When we’d go for a run, he’d always play with the leash at the same point of the way back, after looking for ducks on the bridge on Deerpath
How he’d whine with anticipation about going to Open Lands or any park while in the car
When you pet him and stop, he swats you with his paw to say "keep petting”
When he’s done with you petting him, he just gets up and walks away
Sleeping in the closet in the corner and getting dog hair all over my clothes that were hanging up, I would have to wash them to wear them again
Liking to sleep on a pile of our already-worn clothes or sheets, liking our scent and the bunched up piles to sleep on
Liking his crate, liking his dog beds
Sleeping on his couch in the basement, that used to be his couch from our old condo bedroom, getting all comfy and then letting out a big sigh of pleasure
Doing his patrolling of the yard perimeter, even going behind the hedges and behind the tree line, making a path in the grass and dirt
Scratching his back against all of the boxwoods and making a long line of missing leaves around the yard’s hedges
Hating baths!
After a bath running around like a crazy, rubbing on everything in sight to get dry
His fur would be so soft and smell so good after a bath, I just would bury my head in it and breathe it in
How excited he would be to watch ping pong being played, going back and forth
Playing the comforter game with Matt, hiding his face in the fabric and trying to play-bite his hand
The sound he makes when he yawns
How he would go outside and just feel the breeze on his face and it would look like he was smiling
Hiking in Open Lands and how he would wait to see which way we would turn, and then tear off that way
How he used to be scared to go over the shaky bridge, but then was ok with it and liked it
How muddy he would get from our backyard
All the drool! We’d find it on the ceilings and walls, on our clothes
The shedding! Hair everywhere. I used to change immediately when I got home from work to preserve my clothes for a second wear. When I was wearing black and would tell him goodbye in the morning I was so careful not to let him brush up against me.
How he would run to greet you at the door every time you came home, and watch you from the window when you left
When you came home after a trip being so excited to see you that everything would just wiggle wiggle wiggle, just in love to see you again
Loves having his ears scratched, his neck scratched (even with that gross drool!) and butt scratched
Guarding the house when anybody new came, barking even at Isolene every day after 6 years of her coming to our house
Guarding me when we would go running when we lived in the city, up in LF, or even if Matt was away - I always felt safer with him around
How we was all bark and no bite, so gentle always
How much he loves little dogs, at the dog park and Dougal/Dudley/Brewski, he loves the little dogs best
How he won the ribbon at the dog competition in LF for being the biggest dog
EVERYBODY asking whenever we went anywhere “What kind of dog is that?”
Calling him Carl instead of Spumoni because it was too confusing to tell people his breed “Italian Spinone” and then his name which was so similar
Following us from room to room wherever we went in the house, because he always wanted to be with us
Keeping Matt company every day in his home office
Chewing on sticks, holding them between his paws to gnaw on them
Loving tennis balls and immediately tearing them apart, puncturing them
Being really bad at playing fetch, laying down to eat the ball after 1-2 times of it being thrown
Going after rocks thrown into the water when we didn’t have a ball to throw
Loving those big squeaky balls with the little feet and horns
Loving raw hides, and hiding them all over the yard and in the house (in piles of clothes) to protect them
Loving his Wubba and anything that squeaks, tearing it apart as fast as possible to get the squeaker out
Having dreams and making noises while he slept
In the morning, laying in bed with the kids and Matt and being able to hear all 5 of of breathing, all of us together
Vacationing together, taking him hiking and swimming and making memories
Going after squirrels in the yard and never catching them, stalking them when they went up a tree
Going after Matt’s flying helicopters or drones, barking with glee at them flying around
Having to do a beard trim, or get the cling-ons off his butt to keep him looking presentable
I always had to make sure the sleep goobers were out of his eyes everyday so you could see those gentle eyes more clearly
His eyebrows and beard that make him look like an old man dog
How he had puppy like energy, even up until the end, not realizing he couldn’t do all the things he used to do
He didn’t like peanut butter, so giving him pills had to be done with meat. He loves Meat!!!
We kept his food out all the time, because he never was that interested in eating his food, and never got overweight
Needing to keep the lids of the toilets down because he would drink out of them
Being so gentle and patient with the kids, but generally leaving them alone/ not taking much of an interest in them
Sometimes would sleep in their rooms on the floor, but mostly liked being with Mom and Dad (just like old times, the first 5 years!)
How he made his way home to the condo in the city on his own unharmed after escaping from the doggy day care van, asking to be let into the lobby
How he rescued a frog from the pool with his big, soft mouth and gently set it down
Going to Matt’s work trailers/places and playing with Cooper, Paul G’s dog
How we was a pointer, and would stalk and point when hiking
He LOVED birds of any kind, drawn to them like moth to flame
I love that big brown nose and those sweet, gentle eyes looking at me
Getting up from his dog bed to go to his toy basket, and nosing through it to find the toy he wanted, even if it was a shred of a former stuffed animal squeaky toy and then throwing it up for himself to catch and then bringing it to you - after we put the kids to bed, it was his turn to play
Taking the elevator at 950 W. Monroe to go outside every time, in the middle of the night as a puppy
Barking at things he’d hear outside the door in the city, or what he’d see outside the window in the LF house
Finding the sunny spot in the house and laying in it, snoozing
How he would always follow me into our bedroom and I would have the door shut, but not latched, and he would barrel through the door and I would hear the door hit the wall and think “spumoni’s here”
Hearing his nails click on the tile or wood, always knowing where he was coming or going
Not feeling right about being home until I knew where he was since he always came to greet me “He’s outside” or “He’s in the basement” from somebody home if he wasn’t there at the door
His stinky farts!!
Pooping in the curb in the city instead of on the sidewalk:)
Chasing cats whenever there were any around
Linda brushing him and brushing him outside with big piles of soft hair blowing around them
Keeping me company when I’d plant my garden or plant my pots, of if we were ever hanging outside in general
Loving the snow and running through the deep stuff, shoving his face in it, running around with us and the kids, throwing snowballs at him
He was ours. He was our gentle giant. And we loved him. And he loved us.
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