Nadia's Remembrance

Don't forget to stop by and Like my Facebook Page! DIY Vintage Chic.
What a bundle of cuteness!
So I've been a little MIA lately. We've had a few rough weeks at home. About a month ago our almost 7 year old chocolate lab, Nadia, started to get sick. Long story short, over two weeks she went from completely fine to absolutely miserable.

We connected the first time we met
After two weeks of pain meds, xrays and exams, we found out she had Leukemia. Within the next few days we decided it would be best to say our goodbyes as she was going downhill quickly. We didn't want her to suffer.
She had beautiful green eyes as a puppy
So I pulled together some pictures of her to celebrate her life. She was wild and crazy but she had a heart of gold. She would have walked through fire for me and I miss her dearly every day.
Hiding on the back of the couch from her cousin Cocoa.
She was terrified of the cat and I'm pretty sure Cocoa
enjoyed tormenting her.
The above pictures are a few of her adorable puppy pictures. I brought her home 612 years ago and she changed my whole life. She was a big goofball!
I can't tell you how many times we played
dress-up with Nadia. She never minded.
Sometimes I think she thought she was a human. Here we were camping and she just decided she didn't want to lay in the dirt so she climbed up in a camping chair.
She was always running around like crazy, tongue hanging out, looking like a doofus... but occasionally she calmed down and you could see she was a beautiful dog.
Nadia loved the water. This past Labor Day the hubby and her spent the afternoon jumping off a dock and diving in the pond together. She swam until she was completely exhausted.
However... as much as she liked water, she did not like the beach at the ocean. How miserable does she look here? The waves, the sand, other dogs... it was a little overwhelming.
She did quite a bit of traveling; from all over Missouri, down to Louisiana, over to Florida and back up. And we had our road trip from Missouri out to Virgina to pick up the hubs from his Army training. If I'm counting correctly she went to 13 different states {I know people who haven't been to that many}.
Here we are in New Orleans
But as cute as Nadia was... there were some behaviors even I couldn't explain or understand. Like this one here. We always had to close our bathroom doors because this little toilet paper monster would unwind an entire roll. The phrase "bull in a china shop" often came up in reference to her yet somehow she was gentle enough to bite the paper and pull it all the way to the end of the roll.
Her sleeping habits were unusual as well. It's a dark picture but in case you're wondering, no, her front feet were not touching the ground.
This was her typical sleeping position. She often slept in bed with us. I still remember the night a woke up and heard snoring so I elbowed the hubs in his ribs. Immediately he replied, "I'm awake. It's not me it's Nadia". Yes, she could snore with the best of them.

But she was the best snuggle bug you could ever want. This is us catching a nap after a day of travels.
And then of course there was her unexplained fear of other dogs... or animals in general. She loved her big brother, Nate but he was the only animal she was ever comfortable with. Our friend brought over his new silver lab. The poor puppy just wanted to play with Nadia but she felt it would be best to climb up a on bar stool!! So the puppy chased her tail. She was not happy.
But she pulled it together for her cousin, Dasha's, birthday party and took a group photo {never mind the hubby's foot pushing on her left shoulder to keep her in the photo}.
As crazy as she could be, somehow she knew to be gentle with my youngest nephew here.
On our last days with her this is what she did, just lay in her bed. It wasn't her. Before she didn't stay in the same spot for long. Always on one of our heels following us around to see what we were getting into. Within two weeks she wasn't the same dog. She was still a sweetheart but you could see the pain in her eyes when we would get up from petting her. She wanted to follow us but her pain was too much. That was why we decided to let her go.
I'm warning you now. If you haven't read this before, BEWARE. I couldn't read through the list as I was posting this because I knew I'd break down. You've been warned. Grab a tissue if you wish to read the 10 Canine Commandments. Otherwise just look at the cute dog and skip on to the next picture.
#10 is why I held her until the end
Nicknames: {oh boy, here we go} The Brown Dog, Boofer, Boof, Baby Girl, Little Girl, Franky Flops...I'm sure there's a few I'm missing.
If Nadia had been a person she would have the funeral where people say; she lived life to the fullest, was always a glass-full kind of person, never met a stranger, and so on. She loved getting attention and giving kisses in return... sometimes a little too much. I could go on and on about her funny stories and showing pictures but I don't want to make this any longer. She was a great dog and lived a great life.
Now I imagine her playing catch with her cousin, Dasha {she's no longer afraid of other animals}. My Grandpa T is playing with them and laughing at their nonsense. It's his full body laugh where he holds his belly like Santa and throw his head back laughing. Grandma D is sitting nearby making funny comments about them and laughing as well. Her laugh is the one where she grabs her stomach with one hand and the other goes across her mouth as she squeezes her eyes shut cause she's laughing so hard. They're all having so much fun. They are missed but we all know they're in a better place.
May she rest in peace as comfortably as she use to rest on the couch, basking
in the sun, snoring like an old man. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!
 photo 7ce22a63-74a3-4dab-a0ca-1fc832cb3312_zps0b858cf7.jpg

Check out who I've linked up with this week by going to my Linky Party Page!

***While I'm thrilled to share my step-by-step directions, the good and the bad, these are intended for your personal use. I'm always happy to hear and see what my bloggers have been working on. BUT a lot of work goes into these creations and while I have no issues sharing so you are able to create the work for your precious homes please understand that selling an exact duplication of my designs is highly frowned upon. :( Please always be considerate of another artists work. Thank you!***

Comments

  1. What a special, special being she was. I feel her tenderness from here! God bless Nadia, and your family. Love to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am so sorry for your loss. I know how terrible this kind of loss feels. Your beautiful girl looked just like my beautiful chocolate lab, Spirit that we lost in March to cancer. They are now together over the rainbow bridge... waiting for us!
    Small House / Big Sky Donna / White Oak Studio Designs / SW Michigan
    Hand-Painted Vintage Furniture Transformations
    Blog: http://smallhouseunderabigsky.wordpress.com
    Facebook: donnaallgaierlamberti@facebook.com (for portfolio of chalk painted work)


    Small House / Big Sky Donna / White Oak Studio Designs / SW Michigan
    Hand-Painted Vintage Furniture Transformations
    Blog: http://smallhouseunderabigsky.wordpress.com
    Facebook: donnaallgaierlamberti@facebook.com (for portfolio of chalk painted work)

    ReplyDelete
  3. May your heartache soon give way to beautiful memories. Wishing you the best.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I cried. I laughed. And then I cried again. I am so sorry for your loss. The hardest thing I've ever had to do was put my Ginger down because she too, was in so much pain. She lived a good life of 14 years. Perhaps she and Nadia will become friends. One thing I know for sure is that Ginger will be waiting for me in heaven because my heaven wouldn't exist without her in it, as I am sure Nadia will be waiting for you. God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  5. such a great tribute to such a wonderful member of your family rip nadia and god bless you all getting thru this

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh Becca, I am so sorry. I know how hard it is to lose one of your four-legged children. Please accept my sympathy.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Becca, I am very sorry for the loss of your beloved Nadia. Have been in your position too many times and am currently facing it again. Its my belief we will be granted the permission to see our furry buddies again. Until then, let your memories carry you through this difficult time.

    Michelle @ On A Wing And A Prayer

    ReplyDelete
  8. omg Becca, the picture of Nadia sleeping on the sofa with her head on the ottoman...priceless!!! sweet girl, and as you know I feel the loss with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! I know Christine. Little things like this help when I miss her most. Remembering the good times and the funny things she did.... there was a lot of them. Stay strong and take care!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by DIY Vintage Chic! I appreciate your time and comments. If you have any direct comments please let me know. Feel free to comment, use my contact page or Facebook. See ya soon!

Popular Posts