Monday, July 21, 2014
The day Luna passed there was a Super Moon. Given the sleepless night we had endured and the overall stress of the last few days we had no idea of the lunar event that was occurring that night. Our vet informed us. In the moments after Luna passed our vet broke the silence and profoundly said, "I think it is only fitting that there is a Super Moon tonight."
That night, shortly after the sun set, we leashed up Henry and took him on his first solo adventure. We got in the car and started driving to the beach. We stopped at a little park on the river just before you reach the beach. We walked with Henry to the water's edge and through the clouds we could see the moon shining brightly casting beams that were dancing on the water. La luna was shining bright and seemed bigger than life, just like our little Luna.
Monday, July 14, 2014
It is with a very heavy heart that I must share that Luna passed away on Friday morning. Looking back now, things started to take a turn for the worse on Wednesday afternoon. That is when we first noticed an increase in panting and uncomfortableness in Luna. We were able to get her to settle and sleep on Wednesday night. Early Thursday morning was OK, but around lunch time on Thursday things began to escalate. We gave her one the rescue shots that we had left from Benny and that made it so she could rest a bit. However, her breathing was not good even when she was "resting". In the wee hours of Friday morning her rescue shot began to wear off and her panting was increasing and her distress was becoming even greater. We gave her another rescue shot to hopefully give her some comfort until we could get to the vet on Friday morning. We went to the vet first thing on Friday morning to discuss what options, if any, we had. In our hearts we knew that Luna was telling us it was time, but we just wanted to make sure we didn't have any other options. Our vet confirmed our biggest fear. There were no other options and Luna was on the brink of respiratory failure. Not wanting her to suffer any longer we made the heart breaking decision to let her go.
At just 15lbs Luna was a small physical presence with a larger than life personality. She was feisty, loving and extremely loyal. Wherever her people were that is where you would find her.
I remember driving to South Florida to adopt Luna like it was yesterday. It is hard to believe that we are saying goodbye to this little girl so soon. Luna taught me a lot about toughness, overcoming adversity and making the most of what you got. She made a happy life out of the imperfect hand she was dealt. I am so thankful that I could to deal her a few cards and share in some her many adventures.
The loss of Luna alone leaves a gapping hole in hearts, but coming on the heels of saying goodbye to Benjamin everything is magnified. We are going to take a break from posting this week to help get our heads around the even newer normal we are experiencing here in the OBP house.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Considering that today's date is 7/11/14, I couldn't resist having the pugs pose in front of the sign of our local 7 Eleven.
We came up with this idea when we taking the pugs on a car ride to get out and about. We saw the sign, had the idea and made a quick pit stop to grab the picture. Henry and Luna were more than happy to pose in front of the sign. The only problem was Henry was convinced that he got to go into the store after he got his picture taken.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
We recently had a photo book done of some of our favorite Benjamin moment/memories. Some are not specific memories so much as they, in general, capture his personality.
Besides being an adorable puppy pic, this picture reminds us how light Benjamin's ears were as a pup. While they never got quite as dark as Henry's they did darken up over the years. This was also a rare moment of quiet for him. He was quite the active puppy.
This is one of my all time faves. Benny hugging up to Henry, his bro, his BFF, his bestie, his partner in crime, his anchor.
Benny was never one to be afraid of the vacuum, but for some reason on this day he sought refuge from the loud machine in the toy basket. He jumped up there all by himself. Its a wonder the whole tower didn't collapse.
Benny was always on the lookout. But, it was always from the most comfortable spot in the room.
One of our many action shots of Benny. In his younger years, if he wasn't sleeping, he was darting off at full speed looking for some sort of fun.
Being his silly self and using his tail to fish in the pool.
A classic shot of a very tired Baby Benny. From the looks of his dirty face, I can tell he had a day full of walks and play time.
Benny never wanted to miss out on any of the action. He was more than happy to pull a chair up at the table.
His favorite spot on the sofa.
An infamous sleepy Ben, luscious wrinkle shot.
This was at the Epic hotel in Miami on the night before the 1000 Pugs photo shoot. Our room was on the 25th floor and we had a beautiful view of the city. The elevator ride to our room terrified Benjamin. As soon as we started to go up, his legs gave out from underneath him and his belly hit the floor. We could not control our laughter. Once the elevator stopped and we got to our floor, Benny was his normal happy go lucky self. When we got to our room, the curtains to the floor to ceiling windows were drawn. When I pulled the drapes open and Benny saw how high up he was he almost hit the floor again. It took him a few minutes to get used to living the high life.
The kitchen. Benny's favorite room in the house.
The classic, Baby Benny head tilt.
You can't have a picture collection of Benny without having a picture of him on his favorite white rug.
The classic, Baby Benny side saddle sitting position.
Like Rain Man, "Benjamin was an excellent driver!"
#MissingHimSo #LoveThatBoy #PugsAreTheBest
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
It's funny how each of the remaining pugs have taken on some trait that used to be a Benny only trait. Henry has taken on the role of dinner time beggar. But Luna, has now overtaken the little white rugs in the house. We wonder if they always had these thoughts in mind (begging and white rug hoarding) and they just let Benjamin run the show or if they now see these things as cool since Ben isn't monopolizing the rug or taking all the table scraps. The reality is, though, that if Luna wanted a white rug when Ben was on one, well, there would have been 2 more to choose from. And if Henry wanted leftovers, there are more angles he could have opted to whine from. Who knows? Maybe they are just doing the things Benny did to feel closer to him. In any event, it is nice to see them enjoy some of the simple things in life again. 
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Looking forward to your captions in the comments.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Right before Benny passed, we had a post about how windy days were his favorite types of days. Well, thanks to Sue VDB Benny may smell all the smells on every windy day now. He will be in the sun and shade (depending on the time of the day) and we still get to see his happy good boy face smiling as we drive up to our home. This flag was a beautiful gift from Sue. She also sent one when Solsey passed.
These flags have offered us much comfort and warm memories. Solsey's flag, now faded from the harsh Florida sunshine, still lays in the pile of various garden flags that we have and while it isn't really in a state where we can display it any longer, we give a good hug when we swap out our flags for holidays or seasonal needs.
This one of Benny will hang, too, until the sun beats it down beyond recognition. But the memories will never fade. Not of Solsey and not of Benny. Forever in our hearts live these precious puggers.
We kind of ruined the surprise of the flag when we posted the 4th of July photo. However, we couldn't pass up having Henry and Luna pose with Benny's flag and the American flags we posted for the holiday.
Again, many thanks Sue who we hope is well on her way to recovery. If you haven't heard, Sue fell and broke her hip. I hear she is doing quite well, but please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
