Happy-Go-Lucky
[That was his official AKC name.]
But he went by many other names during his 14.5 years.
Bear
Bear-ish Bear
Bubby
Fluff
Haps
Hapster
Hapurd
Dr. Henry McQuicken
Toward the end, I was calling him Puperoni.
Of course, sometimes we just called him Happy.
Happy was a huge part of my life for many years. A loyal pup. He saw me through some very sad, difficult times. He moved with me to NYC. He gave Burke his seal of approval. He stuck with us when the boys were born, though he had to take a back seat to the craziness that comes with babies. He moved with me, and the rest of his new family, back to MI in 2010, where he would live out the rest of his doggy days.
Yes, in his younger years, he was sassy. He had attitude. Occasional biting was the least becoming of his challenging behaviors. But also, his playful antics were amusing and endearing. These attributes made him uniquely Happy. I am so very thankful for the time I had with him.
This blog post is a celebration of Happy's life with me and our family.
[artwork by Ryan]
These first six pictures were taken before digital cameras had really taken hold. I only have hard copies of some of these early favorites. They are pictures of pictures, as I'm sure you can tell by the difference in image quality. I had to share them though. Great examples of Happy's puppy days.
One of my favorite shots of Happy & me.
This was in a frame for many years.
1999-2000 - Indian Village, Detroit
Major action shots.
He ran in high speed patterns we called "buzzing."
I used to hand him mail and he'd walk around with it.
I'd say "special delivery."
This was very amusing to me.
A hilarious preferred sleeping position/location.
He played crazy with his toys, favorites being his carrot and his football.
Due to wear, both toys were replaced numerous times with exact replicas.
He'd toss his toys around and growl as he went to retrieve it.
2003-2005 - Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
4/23/05 - Happy's 6th birthday
7/15/05
2/11/07 - Inwood, Manhattan
Wedding Picture
4/23/07 - Happy's 8th Birthday
4/23/07
8/27/07 - Morgantown, West Virginia
Burke and I were taking some pictures to submit for a contest. We were trying to win some money from the bank ING. The company's "color" was orange, hence all the orange. [We did not win.] We were on a trip to see where my grandparents lived in WV, and to stop by the cemetery where they are buried. My parents were with us.
11/6/07 - Back in Inwood
1/2/08 - Hamilton Heights, Manhattan
2/16/08 - Fraser, MI
I think I was home for my baby shower when this sweet pic was taken.
4/12/08 - Hamilton Heights
Only a few days before Ryan was born.
We took some belly shots and had to include Happy.
This is also near Happy's 9th birthday.
7/6/08 - Fraser, MI
Napping with Uncle Keith after he helped us move.
7/23/08 - Nyack, NY
12/27/08 - Fraser
Christmas at my parents
1/2/09 - Resting while driving back to NY after the holiday
4/12/09 - Nyack
Life with kids in the house
4/16/09 - Just about to turn 10 years old.
5/6/10 - Love this picture!
5/24/10 - Cute!
10/18/10 - Stevensville, MI
Baby fireman Evan's first appearance with Happy.
11/2/10
3/4/11 - I'm glad Happy got to enjoy many "family walks" before he was clearly in so much pain that it was hard to get a leash on him and he had little stamina to cover any real distance.
4/25/11 - In this picture, he had recently turned 12 years old.
5/30/11 - Literally, a walk in the park.
8/10/11 - Relaxing on the deck. He didn't do this often, so this is a rare picture.
9/3/11
I love absolutely every aspect of this picture!
9/7/11
Lying in one of his favorite spots.
Why is this panda looking at me?
1/14/12 - White on white
I'll miss shoveling a little path for him this winter.
3/17/12 - In these two pictures it's refreshing to see him relaxing on a pillows. In the end, his aging body limited him to resting in only one position. He could not climb on or off pillows or his bed anymore.
10/26/12
4/24/12 - Our last attempt at finding something that wouldn't hurt him while we tried to walk him on a leash. His front leg joints, especially his left, were so tender that he'd yelp when we manipulated this area of the body. This is the day after his 13th birthday. I thought this might be his last birthday with us, but Happy was always a fighter and had one more year (and a half) in him!
11/24/12 - Happy and his "Puppy Grandma" at my parents in Fraser for Thanksgiving. A couple weeks before this, Happy and I went to the emergency vet. I thought he was dying. His liver was not functioning well and he was very sick, but he recovered. It really started to sink in that his days were numbered, and Burke and I tried to really appreciate him and love him up for however much longer we had with him.
3/7/13 - Stevensville
Feeling nostalgic, I took some pictures of his little paw prints in the snow in the bricks leading from the grass to the door. I'm glad I did, it was to be his last winter. Over the next few months, he grew less sure on his feet and had trouble navigating the uneven surface of these bricks and we stopped taking him outside this way as often.
4/23/13 - Happy's 14th birthday!
Wow!
Between his birthday and October, his health and happiness were drastically and steadily declining. He was obviously in so much pain and discomfort and showing some signs of dementia. It became clear that it was time to help relieve his suffering.
10/24/13 - Glad that this was a fairly good day for Happy, prompting predictable, second thoughts. By the way, this is that one resting position I referred to.
10/27/13 - Out in the yard. His last visit with Jordyn. My parents were visiting, and it was nice they had a chance to say goodbye to Happy. They were very attached to him as "puppy grandparents." I thought they'd tell me not to do it. Instead, they recognized his suffering and his decline, telling me reluctantly, sadly that I was doing the right thing.
10/29/13 - On his last day, I put him up on the bed to rest, because...Why not?
He hadn't been up there in years.
10/29/13 - One thing he mustered enough strength and interest to do, even in those last days, was to check the kitchen floor for crumbs. The wood floor was like an ice rink to him. He'd often splay and I'd have to help him up and he'd eventually limp back to the carpet where he was more stable. Crumbs to the end!
There are many other details and emotions that I could share. I'll just summarize by simply saying Happy had a long, eventful life, and as Burke put it, Happy was tired. There is a profoundly empty space in our home and hearts, especially mine.
Happy
April 23, 1999 - October 29, 2013
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