One Last Goodbye

Okay, I have been doing a lot of goodbyes to Bowzer. One last Time.

I just thought that these photos needed to be shared. :)

I found Bow at the SLC Animal Shelter website, right before my 13th B-day.

I saw that he was good with kids and dogs and all of that so I told my dad

that we had to go check him out.

On my birthday the family drove down to the shelter and we immediately fell in 

love, and we were meant to be, because we were third in line, but we got him!

We brought him home on the 25th of January. :)

We tossed a few names around, my brothers wanted Killer, but I said no way,

so we compromised on Bowzer the Schnauzer. Unique. I know.

Since then he has been one of the family. We got to tease him.

My favorite was grabbing his tail or hind legs, he'd always attack.

Or trapping him between legs... scaring him... all of that:

We also took Bow-Bow boating, he loved the wind on his face, and especially the swimming:

 

His love of water extended to Baths too. 

 That wasn't the only recreational thing, Brow went on hikes with us too!
Sometimes fitting right into nature looking like a little bear:

 

Bowz even helped around the house...
 laundry, homework, xeriscaping, family walks, and snow control

Bow loved finding one scrap of fabric, blanket, shoe, vacuum or anything else
to lay on:

 He had a couple injuries along the way, but nothing we couldn't handle:

He also went through many a haircuts... which took a long time, just because he loved them so much:

In the end he was FAMILY and always will be:

Most of all he was my best friend, always hanging out with me in the basement,
watched movies with me, tanning, pictures, and there when I needed a cuddle,
 all the way to his dying day.
 

He died at 10.00 pm on June 9, 2012.
It was a fast death and in my papa's arms. He was 12.
We're guessing he died of a lung cancer, his breathing was strenuous in the end
and he could barely walk, but even then he never failed to have a little tail wag
or slight smile cross his face.

I was reading Marley&Me the same night Bowzer died, I read of Marley's death.
The next night I was reading his parting words of Marley, and I thought they were
rather fitting for my boo.

"A person can learn a lot from a dog...
Marley[Bowzer] taught me about living each day
 with unbridled exuberance and joy,
about seizing the moment and following your heart.
He taught me to appreciate the simple things-
a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight.
And as he grew old and achy,
he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity.
Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else,
unwavering loyalty."
-John Grogan, Marley&Me


The house seems really empty now, and I catch myself looking for him.
But I know that he's in a better place, running in the endless forests
 and marking everything along the way.

Nicole sent these song lyrics out to the fam:

People tell me I ought to save my money
so that I could be layed away in style
In a walnut box with all the fancy trimmin'
Vacuum sealed to keep me fresh awhile
But...
(chorus:)
Send me to glory in a Glad bag
Don't waste a fancy coffin on my bones
Just put me out on the curb next Tuesday
Let the sanitation local bear me home.

Okay... so those aren't sad lyrics, but quite fitting. How we buried him does not

show how deep our love is for him.