No, it’s not as bad as you may think.  Hanibal was my dog, part Boston Terrier, part Cockapoo (although I could never see the Cockapoo part).  I lost him last year to Cushings Disease just before his 13th birthday.  You may think I’m crazy remembering a dog, but losing him was like losing my best friend. 

Hanibal started out as a pet for my son and daughter, and somehow turned into being my dog.  He did love my son and he tolerated my daughter.  My daughter teased him to no end…nothing abusive and mostly funny, but he never forgot any of it.

You could never take him for a ride..he made so much noise you would think he was dying in pain.  The only place you could take him was to the vets office because you had to.  You would think he would quiet down once we got inside the office, but no, not Hanibal.  We were even asked to wait outside once (it was a nice day).  I always said if I got pulled over with Hanibal in the truck, the police would escort us (lights flashing and all) to the vets office thinking poor Hanibal was dying. 

No one could even touch each other when he was around.  He would start barking and get a hold of the pants leg of the person being touched and start pulling you away.  Needless to say, it was a rare pair of pants without teeth holes in the bottom of the legs.  You could never teach him to go after the person doing the touching. 

You could also never teach him to roll over.  Sure, he would sit, stay, shake hands, and lay down on verbal command and hand command.  He could however, catch chicken legs.  Chicken legs are dog treats.  Every time I say chicken legs, people think I mean real chicken legs.  They are lamb and rice bones shaped like chicken legs. 

Hanibal had allergies, so you had to watch what you fed him.  He was also on medications for most of his life.  He knew he took his pills after he went out in the morning.  If for some reason I forgot his pills, he would be sitting in the kitchen by the drawer where his pills were kept just waiting for me to give them to him.

You could never leave food around him.  He would eat anything.  Onions, carrots, olives.  Whatever would drop to the floor, he ate.  You never had to worry about crumbs, he got every last one.  He was at my Grandparents house one day.  My Grandfather dropped the carton of milk, and Hanibal licked up every drop.  We once barbecued a huge piece of sausage, put it on the tray, brought it in the house, and put it on the table.  Well, he got it.  I thought he would get sick, but nope, he just went on his merry way.

The beginning of last year he started drinking hugh amounts of water and having accidents.  Hanibal never had accidents.  We had to leave him once, and it was 36 hours before we could get home again.  I thought for sure there would some type of mess, but again, nope, nothing.  So, off we went for our noisy ride to the vets and the beginning of the end.

The accidents became more frequent (he would just stand there and look at me with a look that said “what’s happening?”  There were the days he couldn’t eat.  There was more medication which he took with no trouble.  There were the days he could barely walk, and I had to hold him up…there were the times he would walk into the walls…there were the nights I stayed up all night with him…and finally there was the night that I knew it was time.

We took our last ride to the vets on April 10, 2009, and it was silent for the first time.

Melissa

Skully danced her first duet and it was wonderful.  Her and Elise have know each other since daycare and been dancing together for 8 years.  They were the stars of the show as far as I am concerned.  They did a jazz number.

The ballet number was great also.

Just let me say wonderful, fantastic, great, awesome!!!

I really liked when you were up on Elise’s back.  Can’t wait till next year!

I can write about the bovine in the road or the turtle on the Blvd. blocking traffic.  I can write and write and write until my fingers fall off and never compete with Eric.

Even the picture of Aunt Marie’s hair at the wedding can’t compete with Eric.

I just want to know what he was doing when he thought about Aladin having no nipples!!!!!

Today, I received the plug in card.  I uninstalled the program, then reinstalled it, then plugged in the card.  All set to go you say…WRONG!!!  I try to go online and get nothing.  So I try to close out this white screen and again nothing.  After lots of poking at that X, I finally got something.  Would I like to pay $15 a day or sign up for a new contract?  WTF???!!!  We have a contract.  When it expires, I doubt we will renew it.  This online service is terrible.

So now lets call that handy 800 number and see what they have to say.  After pressing numerous prompts, I finally get a real live human being.  I answer all the verification questions correctly only to be told that they can’t help me because my name isn’t on that account. 

“You are kidding me, right?”

“No, I’m sorry, but I need permission from the owner of the account to speak to you.”

So I give her the junkyard number, and what happens?  Whoever answered the phone told her JE wasn’t in.  So now I have to call John to find out where JE is. 

“He’s right here.”

“Let me talk to him.”

I tell him what’s going on and to answer the phone when this person calls back.

Now, we have this all straightened out, and here’s what the problem was.  THEY forgot to put in the new serial number. 

Stupidity just burns my butt.  If you can’t do your job, QUIT.  Give it to someone who can.

BTW…I could have had them call Eric.  They would have never known who they were talking to.

This new card is just as bad as the other one.  Still slow and freezing up.

Let’s see…he can now get a job.  That’s good because now we can borrow money from him.  He owns a Hoopty, I don’t think we want to ride with him in that haha.  Hey, I know, he can drop off the money we borrow hahaha.  Oooohhhh, I know, he can go parking now…who you going to go smoochy face with?  I also heard it starts to shrink when you turn 16 hahaha…wait until your next doctor visit.

Enjoy your birthday, it’s almost over haha.

So I hear Eric had nothing to contribute to your vast knowledge of —- —.  I won’t write it because your mother will read this hahahahaha.  Stay away from that garbage dump!!!!!

-Eric-