This post is all about the amazing life of our sweet girl Gynger.

I will start with the end, and fill in as I go. This has been a very emotional week. We had to put down our precious 12 year old Golden Retriever Gynger yesterday. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure a year ago, and a month and a half ago she had a stroke. She just couldn't recover enough after the stroke & we had a very hard decision to make. Here is the picture the day before we put her down, the day we made the decision. My families heart is breaking.

Now I will start at the beginning. She was 9 months old when we adopted her from another family who said they didn't have time for her.  We wanted a companion for our male Golden named Duke. Duke was getting quite old & slowing down. She was so sweet & very active. Duke loved her from first sight & he started playing again. She had separation anxiety, I think because of the 1st failed adoption, and would destroy things when we left her home. She destroyed our 2 couches, chewed up molding around the wall and door frames, carpet & vinyl floors just to name a few. We never gave up on her, she was just too precious. She made great improvement after several months. She loved to snuggle & would climb up in your lap. She followed me everywhere from the start. She was the first dog Glen & I bought as adults. I had had Duke since I was 13 years old! She helped us as much as we helped her. We were struggling with infertility for years it was a very emotional journey. Our sweet dogs always kept the depression from getting too much to handle.

Fast forward 3 years and the girls were born! She was in love with them the second we brought them home! She would sit right by wherever they were laid, which was usually the couch, almost blocking the side so they wouldn't roll off. She hated to hear them cry & would pace back and forth from me to them, pleading at me with her eyes to pick them up. She did not like anyone except Glen & I to hold them. She would pace and look so worried till they were put back down. She was their 2nd momma! She was always so gentle & loving. She would have made an amazing mother herself, but never got the chance.

Our precious Duke lived till he was 17 years old! I honestly contribute those extra years to Gynger. He died when the girls were 1 year old. He lived seeing me grow up, get married, and have children. He will also always have a special place in my heart! His passing was SO hard, but Gynger really helped us get through that. She was depressed for a couple weeks, but really started to perk up and seemed to enjoy being the center of attention, well as much as can be expected with toddler twins running around!

She had many loves. Snuggling, chewing on sticks & rocks, going to the park, swimming in lakes, playing with the girls, following me everywhere I went, and snow just to name a few! She LOVED the snow! She was so funny to watch!

She had the cutest little prance she would always do when she was happy or excited, which was most of the time! She was the happiest, silliest, most tender hearted sweet girl! She loved to sleep on her back with all 4 paws in the air. The girls called her the Student Teacher when she didn't want to be left out of the homeschool room.

We buried her in the back yard with her brothers ashes in a box between her paws. We are very heart broken. The house is too quiet without her. No happy prancing feet when we walk in the door, no toe nails clicky clacking on the wood floors, no tail thumping on the wall, no sweet face pressed up against you for snuggles and belly rubs, no more being followed everywhere I go, no more begging, no one to clean up dropped food off the floor, no sweet girl beside my bed. Right now all that is left is the tears and the pain. I think it is so very hard because we don't have another sweet Golden around to help us through the grieving. We will get another Golden next spring after taxes come in. The next 4 or 5 months will be quite hard.

I truly don't believe that God would put these precious pets in our lives if we couldn't ever see them again. I am sure she is in Heaven playing with her brother Duke and we will see her again one day. We miss you SO very much precious girl!