Emmie and her Toys

As I watch sweet fifteen year old Emmie grow slower each day, I find myself remembering how amazingly playful and fun this little dog once was!

She was my "Spring Dog"...always leaping for joy at the possibility of going for a ride in the car or for a walk. Emmie loved her toys so much and had some unusual toys. Some I remember were Kristin's fuzzy slippers that we called her "fuzz". She also liked old worn down conch shells and a variety of other toys..perhaps you all will remember. George used to like to line up all of her toys in a row and see which one she would go for...usually "fuzz"!

Emmie would throw these toys around..up in the air and everywhere to make them more fun to her. We actually got a call from our security people once telling us our pet alley had been alerted and we discovered it was Emmie throwing toys up in the air as she played by herself in our main hall. What a dog!

I remember watching sweet Boston and my dear childhood dog Spot decline and how hard that was. Emmie is my most loyal friend. She follows me all over this house. She even struggles up the stairs each time I come to the computer.

These dogs are so important in our lives, such special memories!

Emmie and her playfulness will always be a strong memory for me!

-Harriet

FROM GEORGE:

Emmie is a pretty heavy topic to start out with Harriet, but I guess you write what you know. Emmie and I have had a complex relationship through the years. There were so many classic times with her that it's so hard to put it into words. I'll start out with our first full day together.

The decision to buy a new dog was not an easy one. I don't think it was as hard for me, Kristin or Dad as it was for Mom who was not over the loss of Boston. And if I remember correctly, there was a little animosity or resentment that mom held towards Emmie in the beginning. Nonetheless, I remember the day we all decided to buy Emmie. Kristin was not there. I think she was doing some cheerleading thing or something, so Dad, Mom, my friend Andy Nelson and I got into the Peugeot and headed to the house where we had heard there were dogs to adopt.

The house was one of those split level houses with a big back deck. There were only two dogs left: Tameka and Coco-Puff. Tameka, who was given that name because she was all black, was this tiny little puppy with a bare belly. She was so cute and playful. Coco-Puff was a chocolate lab with some sort of fungus on his right leg. Andy and I tried to convince Mom and Dad to adopt both of them, but in the end we chose to take Tameka, who would soon be given a range of names. We got in the car with our little Tameka. I was so excited and Andy and I kept her in the back seat with us.

It was a beautiful spring day and honestly those are the days that make children love their childhood. Could it get any better for a ten year old boy. I mean a new puppy, blue skies, a cool breeze, French cars , best friend, family and to top it off, I remember the song that was playing. It was The Hondells covering Little Honda.



We drove home that day with big smiles as we welcomed our little Tameka into our home. Kristin would arrive sometime later to the surprise, but in the meantime I called by neighborhood friend, Justin Eagle (Korean by the way), and he came over. We played and played and played. When night came I was determined for Tameka to sleep with me, so I barricaded the space between my two beds and just assumed that that would hold her. It did not and I woke up to a load of Emmie poop and vomit. It was okay though. I had a new puppy and a new best friend.
-George

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Emmie's Favorite Pet Sitter

All I have to say is how lucky we were to find a pet sitter as wonderful as Ward. He sure loved that Emmie. I think we all remember the nickname he had for her... it was a pleasant 5 letter word. We would expect nothing less from a guy as swell as Ward!
-Goose