Our Gentle Giant Teddy Bear

 

Dedicated to Angel Lightning

May 4, 2011 - April 10, 2024

Today and every day we are so thankful to have had the privilege and honor to share our lives with Lightning.  Let us take a trip down Memory Lane through the life cycle of our dear boy,

Love at first sight - the first photo from the breeder.

Getting ready to head to my furever home in OP.

I'm ready - let's GO!!!

First look at MY new kingdom!!!

I think I am going to like it here a lot!!!

What was that?  I have to SHARE my kingdom???  With THREE more Sibes???

Meeting Angel Thunder - he sure is a big boy!!!

Keeping my eye on Angel Ciara - I hear she is a real sweetheart!!!

And now time to greet the patriarch of the furamily - Angel Phantom - I am pretty sure he is going to be my good buddy!!!

Working my way to joining the Pack altogether.

And I DID it!!!

We were a fabulous foursome for several years.  We could really woo up a storm.

Thunder, Phantom, Lightning, and Ciara

And then as the years went by, our pack changed.  

First we lost  Angel Thunder very suddenly at the age of seven to IMHA.

Despite the hole in our pack and in our hearts, the Pack carried on as the Terrific Trio.

Two years later it was time to say farewell to another pack member - dear Phantom at the age of 16 1/2.

This Dream Duo would carry on for another year and a half.  But it was a rough time for Angel Ciara who finally gave up her fight against the devastating and evil epilepsy.

Thanks to some wonderful friends who pulled off a miracle, Lightning was not alone for very long.

In the fall of 2016, only a few weeks after losing Ciara, Lightning was joined by Misty, and the two bonded immediately

Less than a year later, Timber decided the Pack needed to be a threesome again and found his way to our home.

And so the Pack remained until last week.

This post has been very long and very photo loaded, but we wanted you to see Lightning's life through the years.  Most of our regular readers are very familiar with his life with Misty and Timber so we will just add a few more memorable moments from our recent posts.

Mom's Reflection:  Lightning was such a good dog and a wonderful companion.  He was undoubtedly a quirky boy, but it was what made him special.  From the first day we met him, he was terrified of bikes, skateboards, scooters, baby strollers, anything with wheels.  He also disliked balloons, boxes, construction cones, yard signs, etc.  We have no idea where all this craziness came from, but we think he may have been a singleton pup and never really got the very early learning from a pack of pups.   I always knew to cross the street or go a different way if I knew there would be "wheels" ahead.  But he loved children, just not their toys on wheels.  He was a favorite with the grands.  When they were young, he would just lie still while they stroked his fur, and he loved cleaning up the crumbs they dropped on the floor:).  Whenever the whole family was here to visit, Lightning was right there looking for a friendly hand to love on him.  He was always a little shy with anyone new, but if you let him come at his own pace, he would be your best friend in no time.  

One of my fondest memories really makes me teary, and the tears come back every night since he left.  At night when my husband and I sit on the sofa to watch TV, each at their own end so as to have an end table at hand, Lightning would come and sit between us.  He would be looking at me to see if I had some gentle ear scritchies or pats on the head for him.  If my response was too slow, he would twist his head backwards and give his Dad that look that said "your turn".  This could go on back and forth between us for 10 minutes or so, and then he would settle to a down position with his head tucked under the coffee table. In recent months he couldn't sit that long because of his back and leg pain, so the 10 minutes became 5, then 2, then maybe just 1, but long enough to get some attention. Now that space is empty. Neither Misty nor Timber have moved to that spot yet.

Lightning never turned down anything to eat. That was why his refusal to eat on his last Monday raised huge red flags. It was the beginning of the end.  He loved his kibble, treats, yogurt, ice cream, any kind of meat, ice cream, lettuce, apple, strawberries, blueberries.  Maybe not too keen on bananas, but he would get a slice down eventually.  He looked forward at night to his share of a few of Dad's blueberries from his after-dinner snack bowl of blueberries and strawberries.   Dad has a tough time downing those blueberries now that his sharing partner is not there.  Sad memories but ones that one day will make us smile.

Lightning was a gentle soul, who became even more gentle as he aged.  He was always very tolerant of the antics of his younger siblings, Misty and Timber.  And they could be quite annoying as young pups. He never balked at either of them poking their snooters into his bowl, but he did begin to eat a little faster:). If we were out for the day, one or both of us, he was always the one lying at the back door, patiently waiting for our return. In recent weeks that became a bit of a problem as he had such a hard time getting up we couldn't get the door open, and we often worried he wouldn't move fast enough for us to get inside to unset the house alarm.  Yes, he did struggle a lot with his mobility. But the sweet boy NEVER complained, NEVER cried out, just did the best he could with help.  We tried all kinds of options for pain relief, but none seemed to do the trick. At least it is comforting to us now to know that he has no more pain. We are happy that his life has come full circle, and he is now with his early pack members running free and being happy.

I could add volumes more photos and stories about this dear pup, but the blog is here for you to reminisce if you so wish.  Now it is time for you to give your loved ones, furry or human, a big hug and a whisper of how much you love them.

Our song for Lightning (click HERE to listen on YouTube)

Oh we never know where life will take us
I know it's just a ride on the wheel
And we never know when death will shake us
And we wonder how it will feel

So goodbye my friend
I know I'll never see you again
But the time together through all the years
Will take away these tears
It's okay now
Goodbye my friend

I've seen a lot things that make me crazy
And I guess I held on to you
We could've run away and left well maybe
But it wasn't time and we both knew

So goodbye my friend
I know I'll never see you again
But the love you gave me through all the years
Will take away these tears
I'm okay now
Goodbye my friend

Life's so fragile and love's so pure
We can't hold on but we try
We watch how quickly it disappears
And we never know why

But I'm okay now
Goodbye my friend
You can go now
Goodbye my friend

Kathie, Misty and Timber (and the Five Angels)

NOTE: We send our thanks to Ann of Zoolatry for the wonderful memory images she created for us of Lightning, our new blog header and features, and all the work she has done for us for so many years.

Please visit Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop for more posts of thankfulness.