RIP Hawley

Hawley

October 30, 2001 - July 30, 2015

Hubby and I gave the boys a puppy for Christmas in 2001.  I named him Hawley.  The boys had their eyes closed, I set Hawley down and then told them to open their eyes and meet Hawley.  Sam had a few seconds of disappointment.  He thought Hawley was a little sister named Holly and that we were adopting a little girl.  He got over it pretty fast.

 Hawley grew up with the boys.  He was a fun puppy.  Sam was  the dog whisperer and taught him good manners.  Hawley sat on my lap whenever I was weeding and planting until I had to tell him that he was just too big.

 Sam would leave a treat on Hawley's nose, clear the table on the patio and then tell Hawley, "okay", only then would  Hawley would toss his head and gobble the treat.

 As the boys grew up and left home Hawley aged and started to spend more time hanging out with Hubby and me.  I bought him a new bed at Costco each Fall and so we had beds all over.  That way if we were working in the back yard he had a bed there, or in the garage he could watch Hubby work on the trailer, one on the patio, one in front of the wood stove and one in his dog house

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Hawley loved the wood stove and many times as I came into the house carrying firewood he slammed me out of the way to get inside to his spot by the fire. This picture shows him on a towel but that wasn't the norm, he had a bed by the fire.  He liked to lay so close that when we walked by and petted him his fur was too hot to touch.

 On the patio he took over my chaise lounge and then ignored me.  If I don't look your way then you do not exist and I don't have to get off of the chaise lounge.  Right?

 Hubby was Hawley's person and they loved each other.  It started on Hawley's first night with us, Hubby built him a dog house and then at bed time he crawled in with Hawley.  Hubby laid with him until our new puppy fell asleep.  It was his first night without brothers or sisters and Hubby knew he'd be scared and lonely. 

 Hawley met Hubby every night and did not want to be on the patio or in the house at 4:30 because it was time to meet the boss in the driveway.  Hawley and Hubby got gray together, raising those boys wasn't easy!

 We were told that we'd know when it was time to say good bye to our faithful friend and that was true.  It seemed to happen overnight though we knew for a year that the time was coming.

It was harder than we thought it would be.  Sam was able to come help us say good bye.

Hawley is buried under the apple tree.

A wise friend told me that when it's time to say good bye that is the time we pay for having loved a good dog for so many years.  It is hard, but we loved him a lot so it is worth the pain of losing our dear, faithful friend.