Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Taking a walk on the streets of Heaven


Our dog Hot Rod died today, and we are feeling his loss heavily. Hot Rod was Kevin's dog contribution to our marriage. He got Hot Rod shortly after we met in 1993. The photo above was taken when he was a puppy. Kevin and I were co-workers then, so I didn't realize at the time how important that fuzzy, little puppy (he looked like a cuddly bear cub) would become in my life.
The thing HR loved best was going for a walk. That was his and Kevin's thing. I remember when we first moved to the country, we let our two dogs loose and off they went. When we started missing them we saw them on a country road a quarter of a mile away. Hot Rod was just trotting down the road, with Ballou tagging along behind.
Ballou died last spring, so we imagine they had quite a reunion and are even now trotting down the roads and fields of Heaven.
Hot Rod was a good dog and went to his reward, but we will miss him terribly.
The thing I think I'll miss, too, is Jake calling Hot Rod's name.
Hot Rod probably was the first two-word combination Jake said, but with his cleft he did have issues. He said it something like Haa Raa (it loses cuteness in the translation). I'm sure he will miss Hot Rod some, but he's OK now. We told him Hot Rod's body didn't work anymore, so he had to go to Heaven where it could, and Hot Rod's happy now because he can run and play again. Jake accepted it with an emphatic nod and a smile.
God bless you Haa Raa. We love you.

Violet

4 comments:

Mommin' the Chaos said...

I'm SO sorry to hear about Hot Rod. He lived a good, long life with parents like you guys. All we can do is spoil them rotten in their days with us and I'm sure you both did just that. I bet Ballou and Hot Rod are thrilled to see each other again. Probably running on their own little farm chasing the rabbits!

Jolene Powell said...

I am so sorry for your loss. As a dog lover myself, I know what a wonderful member of the family our canines are! You will have lots of great memories. I love the way you explained it to Jake. We have an aging dog too, so I may have to use that same line with Tyson. Anyway, I am so sorry. If I were there, I'd give you all a great big hug! Hot Rod seems like a very special dog.

Gina said...

I'm so sorry for your loss. I am a major dog lover myself. We have 6 because where we live people dump dogs. :( So sorry though. I know it's a big hurt.

Our Journey to China! said...

Hello..Thank you for leaving a commit on our blog..your little guy is so handsome!! I am so sorry for the loss of your dog..I have 4 dogs, 2 cats,and 2 fish..I am a animal lover...in rememberance of your Hot Rod..I too have aging dogs..so I took several pictures of them today and will post them on our blog for Hot Rod!! The Hooker Family