Goodbye, old friend.

Earlier this week, we said goodbye to Niles.  It's a heartbreak as you all can imagine, even though we knew for a while that this day was coming, it's not easy to lose a member of our family. 

Although this guy was tiny, he was a fighter and that's probably what kept him here with us as long as he was.  At his biggest, he was 4.5 pounds, and for the last six months or so, he was a teeny weenie 2.75 pounds. So physically fragile but so mentally tough. Our proud little man.

When I got Niles almost fourteen years ago, he was so spoiled from the beginning.  Here's a picture of him in his little bed, surrounded by all his toys.  He had a little smirky face and such a little attitude! If you picked him up to love on him, when you put him down, he's wipe your "stink" off him.  He did a little moon walk and it was so funny to watch him. He just wanted to play all the time and chase the tennis ball until he would practically fall over with exhaustion.  He'd sleep and get up and do it all over again.

He had a little fur coat with leopard cuffs, (a whole wardrobe actually - jammies included!):

He loved to curl up anywhere warm: 

Or anywhere there was a ray of sunshine:

Back in the day, he could run and jump higher than you would ever think, but over time, he just couldn't jump anymore, and running made his little bones ache. 

We almost lost him three years ago when he got attacked by another dog.  He had severe injuries and was in shock. We set up a doggie ICU to watch him constantly and to keep the other three dogs away from accidentally hurting him more.  We were so afraid when he wouldn't eat anything - not peanut butter, not even a hunk of cheese.  Usually, he would sell his soul for cheese, but he wouldn't even look at it. By some miracle, Doug got him to eat "special chicken dinner" and we nursed him back to health.  

Though, after that incident, he started to slow down.  His bones really began to ache and we had to start pain medication for arthritis. We teased that he was a little "junkie" because when he would need his pain medication, he would come to the cabinet where I kept his pills.  He would take it without even hiding it in cheese and he would go on his way.   His eyesight and hearing began to fail, and over time he lost a few teeth. But he was a proud little man and he *loved* his Douglas.  When Doug would come home from work, Niles would come out from wherever he was sleeping to greet him with an ear to ear toothless grin and wagging of his little flag tail.

Doug loved him too.  He took such wonderful care of Niles - every night tucking him in and wrapping him in a warmy blanket.  Making him special warm roast beef dinner trying to keep him from losing any more weight.  We're all going to miss him so much.  We gave him the very best life we possibly could and got so much more from him in return.  I have a million stories and memories and for the time we had together, I am so grateful.  He is so terribly missed.

 I hope he's having fun in Heaven chasing bunnies and getting lots of snuggles from my Mom.  I'm sure she's feeding him cream cheese on bagels just like the old days.  Goodbye, old friend.  I'll see you again. xoxo