One Week Down

Well, it's been one week since we lost Duke. It's been hard, but everyday seems to be a little bit better. Many of you have asked how Dayzee has been doing since Duke passed away. So I'll tell ya. But first, some back story:

When we first brought Duke home as a puppy, Dayzee was NOT thrilled. She was used to being "Top Dog" and the only "baby" in the house. Then all of a sudden, there was this adorable tiny little puppy that we doted on and loved. Now don't get me wrong, we still loved Dayzee, but how adorable are puppies? Of course we doted on him. Well, one night shortly after we brought him home, we woke up to Dayzee growling and attacking Duke! He was just a tiny puppy and scared for his life! Mark came flying out of bed and pulled Dayzee off of Duke and...shall we say...put an end to the argument. I'm not sure if Dayzee was trying to kill Duke or just send a message, but either way the message was received. From then on, Dayzee WAS Top Dog. Duke never ate before her, she always got the chew toys first and if Dayzee wasn't in the mood to play then Duke didn't play either.

Eventually, they did become buddies and Dayzee became quite fond of Duke. In fact, within the last year or two Duke was actually able to get Dayzee to play with him when HE wanted and not have to wait for her. He love to play tug of war with her and they would "fight." It would get so loud with the growling that at times you couldn't even hear the TV when it was turned up all the way! If you didn't know them, you would really think that they were trying to kill each other! We would occasionally have to reassure our friends that they were just playing.

When Mark took Duke away on Saturday and didn't bring him back, Dayzee was very subdued. She kept looking for him. And on Sunday, she laid down by his bed and whined. It was so sad. I've knelt beside her and hugged her so much this last week, she doesn't know what to think! She didn't eat for three days (no need to worry, she has quite a reserve!), and didn't even beg for any table scraps like she normally does. She was horribly depressed.

But, like us, I think that each day is a little bit better. She's starting to take more interest in Paityn (not sure that I love that.You should see Paityn's eyes when Dayzee stands over her and especially if Dayzee can get in a quick lick before I can stop her!) She's back to begging for foods, though she doesn't grab it from your hand as fast since there's no competition. And she's starting to enjoy the attention more fully.

We will always miss Duke and we have a special place in our hearts for him always. Thanks to all for the condolences that you have given. It means a lot to us that people know how big a part of our family he was.