Once upon a time….Lewis stole my heart too…

Before Merlin…

the mischievous lovable mutt we adore!

there was Lewis…

Lewis stole my heart

Lewis was a “purebred” Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

We purchased Lewis on February 2, 2009 from a “hobby breeder”

(huge mistake please don’t ever buy from back yard breeders !)

Lewis quickly stole our hearts…

(I know I know… he LOOKS like Merlin! that was not planned)

He was an adorable puppy…

always CHEWING… and into every thing … =)

We loved him… he was a beautiful happy puppy…

but… He had a few signs of aggression (not heard of AT ALL  in this breed) *sigh*

we figured it was the “leader of the pack” thing… and we could train him…

as we loved on the little guy…

we realized more and more he was a “loose cannon” …

we could not trust him with anyone…

he only trusted me…

and he was randomly aggressive, growling or nipping at others..

but he continued to steal our hearts, and play, and grow, and get into puppy trouble…

he was a happy tail wagger!  most of the time… =)

and we hoped he would grow out of his mild aggressiveness…maybe it was protectiveness…

He loved me…I was his person…  he loved the kids but was a bit aggressive towards them…

nipping and growling at them… and he growled at my husband a lot …

we hoped it was something we could train out of him…

we were puzzled…

He had an obsession with the hose water …

he always wanted me to “water” so he could play in it as it sprayed out of the hose… *special memories*

=(  no actual pictures or video of him doing his hose thing… *sigh*

and of course he played with Ned…

Lewis was Ned’s first puppy friend…

(Ned is Merlin’s regular playmate… for those of you who haven’t been around much!)  😉

We “knew” something was not right with Lewis…

he curled himself up like this a lot

he nipped at himself a lot

he nipped and growled more and more as he grew

the training was not helping with that… (though he did obey other commands really well)

I started googling and reading… and I started to realize it was probably a rare brain disorder I found…

my heart sank as each week passed…our puppy was probably suffering …

he was our baby…

by July we had visited 3 vets… all of whom told us he needed to be put down…

the last vet is a Cavalier owner himself…

by July we realized the “right” thing to do was “lay him to rest”…

his brain was sick… he was having nerve pain…he was getting worse not better…

he was our baby… it was SAD and horrible…

So… We took him to the beach ~ our happy place ~ for his last weekend with us~

he watched the kids play…

and he was so gentle that day…

he watched the kids dig…

and he dug too… *sweet sweet memory*

he loved his weekend at the beach…  =)

On July 13, 2009 …

Lewis was “laid to rest”at 8 months old… I still miss that little guy!!!

he will forever be a part of my heart!!

and though I feel really silly sharing this post…

Something in me had to honor him today!

is this weird?!  am I weird??   (don’t answer that!!  ha ha)  =)

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Though everyone advised us NOT to get another puppy right away…

we just couldn’t bear the thought of our kids thinking  of last summer as the summer they lost their puppy…

so we went against the grain and looked for a new puppy…

Merlin joined our family Aug 31, 2009…. just a month and a half after we lost Lewis…

(talk about guilt! ~  don’t worry I will deal with it in therapy !!)

seriously …

We are blessed to have found Merlin …

our  new puppy love… though he looks a lot like Lewis…

he does have a completely different personality…

now Merlin has stolen our hearts…

and We love our  “new” 1 year old puppy !!  =)

and in memory of my first puppy (since childhood)…

today I am going to water my lawn the way Lewis used to like it…

with the yellow hose instead of the sprinkler!  =)

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oh… and just a funny “note”…. Merlin is Terrified of water!!

he runs like a little girl and hides when I turn the hose on!!  =)

makes me laugh every time… poor little chicken!  =)

21 Responses | Add your Own

  • 1 Beka yazmış:

    Awww, Lewis was so cute.
    So sorry about him!
    At least you have sweet memories. 🙂
    Merlin is darling!

  • 2 Julianne yazmış:

    So sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. Lewis looked so much like Clyde except for Clyde’s brown patches.

    Clyde also loves hose water–or really any water…he loves getting a bath! They would have been good “friends”. For now, Clyde will learn from Merlin..or maybe not! haha.

  • 3 Lori@ Teacher Turned Mommy yazmış:

    it is always hard when you have to put down a dog, but at least you have some great loving memories of him and a new leader of the pack to love

  • 4 Cindy yazmış:

    I know just how your heart feels.
    My first furry baby died in hubbies arms at the age of 13!!
    We all loved him so!

  • 5 dysfunctional mom yazmış:

    Well. My heart is now broken into 4000 pieces, thank you very much!
    Seriously…I had a dog like that too. I loved him SO much, and he loved me so much. Everyone else, NOT so much. We had to give him to the humane society and I’m such a chicken I couldn’t even ask about him because I know he probably had to be put down.
    I still miss him, cry when I see a dog that looks like him, and carry around his dog tag.
    =( I miss my Sam.

  • 6 Dina @ 4 Lettre Words yazmış:

    We had to make the same decision last fall. It’s so hard and no new pet takes that place.
    XOXO!!!

  • 7 Mikki yazmış:

    Aww. What a sweet post.
    We love our dogs and it’s so hard when they have to be put down.

    Blessings my dear friend.. enjoy the new doggy

  • 8 Jen Gacek yazmış:

    Aww….what great memories! He was so sweet looking. sorry you had to put him down. i know what that pain is like. i’m glad you have a new puppy that can fill your hearts again!

  • 9 Colleen yazmış:

    What a wonderful tribute to a special dog. We had a similiar situation with our beloved boxer, Murphy (but he was 7). We have a new fellow, a Pug puppy named Senor Pablo Gomez who is a riot and has made us smile again. I know we will always love the Murph, but as they say, he will be forever in our hearts.

  • 10 Christy yazmış:

    it’s not sill at all to write a post for Lewis! both dogs are so cute, and I’m glad Merlin is working so well!

  • 11 Pennie yazmış:

    I wanted a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel when we were looking for puppies, before I got Angel. We decided against it when we were PRICING Cavalier King Charles Spaniels!!! And, I hear they don’t live long and are prone to many health problems. And, MIke was adamant that we were getting a hunting dog. At a weak moment, he gave in to the mention of a papillon and has been kicking himself ever since. (He dislikes little, yippy dogs. I, on the other hand, LOVE my baby…) Your CKCS was so very beautiful (and the most beautiful color…tee hee).

    I love that Merlin is afraid of water, the total opposite. He wants his own quirks, for Pete’s sake!

    Thanks for sharing. this was a beautiful story – a great tribute.

  • 12 He & Me + 3 yazmış:

    What a sweet fun post about your precious puppies. So sorry you had to lay Lewis to rest. I dread that day for us.

  • 13 Courtney yazmış:

    Not a silly post at all! Now given, I did a whole slideshow of my doggie’s pics when we put her down in March: http://jahjong.blogspot.com/2010/03/goodbye-annie-girl.html

    Sounds like you did the most kind thing and I’m very happy Merlin came to live with you to help ease the pain!

  • 14 Darcie yazmış:

    I do not think you are weird at all for sharing this post. Why not honor the sweet little puppy…you can tell along with everything he was still VERY loved. Seeing the pictures at the beach however made me tear up a bit. You are a great doggie owner!

  • 15 abby yazmış:

    ok, you just broke my heart…

  • 16 christy yazmış:

    Great pics, stopping by from sits
    we played on the slip n’ slide and will get to do some hair woo-hoo (not)
    Come hop with me friday for my 4th hop
    http://home-momblog.blogspot.com/search/label/ifih

  • 17 Laura yazmış:

    Awww that made me tear up, what a cute post! Sorry you had to do that but at least you know he is happy where he is! Love the beach pictures with the kids, so cute.

  • 18 Jen Gacek yazmış:

    i know i already commented on this post…but I’m just responding to your comment on my blog. do you have an email i could send my sweet & spicy cashew chicken recipe to 😉

  • 19 Becky @ Farmgirl Paints yazmış:

    Well that’s just sad. I’ve never heard of that before. But what a sweetie you have now.

  • 20 liz yazmış:

    honestly, i have tears falling onto my laptop. I can’t bear to hear stories like that about pups. Poor guy. You feel so sorry for him. But I’m glad that Merlin is sweet and happy and good with the family.

  • 21 Michelle F yazmış:

    Hi Jenn,

    I’ve really been enjoying your blog, Jenn. You’re such an entertaining writer. Your write up on your puppy touched my heart. Our puppy just turned one year old on July 13th and I see that is a day that has some sad memories for you. Keep writing…you’re so good at it.