The Labs of my Life

Tarri came into my life on June 23, 2012

    

     Meet Tarri. She is my puppy:) I picked her up when she was only ten weeks old. She is now upwards of six months. I have been a dog owner for the majority of my life; the first one being a black Labrador by the name of Tara. Tara was around when I was barely old enough to walk but I would assume she brought me great joy. Then came Maddie. Maddie was a chocolate lab and the first experience I ever had with death, beyond over feeding some fish. Maddie got hit by a car late one night and didn’t make it till morning. That one hurt, I remember one Christmas after watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer I wanted to be just like Santa in his sleigh. So, one snowy December day, I decided to use Maddie as my reindeer and strapped my little orange sled to her collar. I got down the hill and maybe a block around the corner before a a neighborhood friend noticed me, alone getting pulled by Maddie through the snow, and decided it was best to return me to my home. My were they greeted by a grateful mother at the door.

     My brother and I always complained when it came time to clean the poop in the kennel on the side of the house but it surely took some time for my brother and I to get over the loss of Maddie. I wish her life hadn't been cut short that night; there is no telling the amount of memories that surely would have continued. The next pup was a yellow lab. My brother and I were getting to the age in which my father wanted us to take on the majority of the care taking responsibilities. Turned out Dusty was a bit too high strong and pulled my brother and I around like rag dolls. The final straw was when she pulled Aaron onto a public bus, which was when we decided to hand her over to our grandfather who did an immaculate job with his training.

     The short clip above is a brief moment I captured around the holidays with Marra (M-air-uh). Marra loved the cabin. Taking Marra to the cabin was like taking a young child to Disney land. I spent countless hours throwing a tennis ball as far out into the lake as possible and watching her run full speed and leap out into the water like super dog, swim out a good 35-45 yards, and return ball in mouth. If you were new to the cabin it didn't take long to find out how far away to stand from Marra to avoid getting sprayed by her shake. Marra passed away from a short bout with cancer just a few nights ago. That was not an easy one to swallow. Being in California, and her still in Washington, I missed the final years of her life. I got brief visits with her when I would return for breaks; she greeted me with a unforgettable smile and would immediately fall to her back for a belly rub every time.

     So now at 22 years old I have embarked on a journey of my own; with a beautiful little girl named Tarri. I combined the names of my previous labs in remembrance. It's a wild thought when I think about where I will be ten years from now, but at least I know I will always have one thing right there by my side; greeting me with a smile and a wagging tail no matter what.