All Dogs Go To Heaven

Our dog Brinkley, aka "Ginky," is now in a better place. As a baby, Tucker would say "Ginky," so that has really been her name for the past two years. Our sweet dog went to heaven yesterday.

I rescued Brinkley from the SPCA eight years ago. She was the only dog that was curled up in the back of her kennel instead of begging for attention. It was heart breaking to see such a sad little soul. I took her outside to the play yard area, and she was just as pitiful. While the other dogs ran around excitedly hoping to get a new home, Brinkley sat down next to the fence with her head hung low. She had my heart. I just had to take her home and shower her with love.

It was evident from the get-go that Brinkley had been abused. I was single at the time and had an abundance of time and love to give to her. We became the best of buddies. She was quite wary of men, that is, until Richard came along. I had warned him about her dislike of men. She immediately took to Richard like she had no one else before. I had always said that the right man for me would have to get along with my Brinkley girl. When Tucker was born, Brinkley's world changed. I really worried about how she would adapt to having a baby in the house, but she did great. She loved Tucker and he sure loved his Ginky.

It was nearly a year ago when Brinkley had her first episode, which we now believe to be a stroke. After extensive tests and x-rays, the vet couldn't find anything wrong with her. She soon returned to her normal self, and had been that way until a few weeks ago. It was then that we started noticing some major chances in our Ginky, and have witnessed her having more strokes. It's been heart breaking to watch her suffer, and we're trying to make peace with our decision to put her to sleep. May Richard find some comfort in knowing that it was the right thing to do. He held her as she peacefully rose above to live with the angels.

Rest in peace, Ginky. We love you and will remember you always.