It's too quiet....

Ever since Thanksgiving, it has been too quiet in the house. It has never been this quiet, at least, not since 1997. How can a house with 7 hounds in it be so quiet?

In 1997, we got our first greyhound puppies, Spoof & BJ. The two of them were referred to as the "dynamic duo", "the Brothers Grimm", and a host of other names. "The Boys" were very different in personality. Spoof was a goof and he'd go with the flow, while BJ was determined and he never quit anything. Spoof was a white & red brindle particolor and BJ was a deep red brindle, the color of a brand new copper penny!

We lost Spoof to skin cancer in March 2008. He was diagnosed with the cancer several years back. When tumors would pop up, we'd have them removed. Well, in October 2007, Spoof developed a tumor on his stifle. We had it removed and it came back. Again it was removed & it came back. It was a very aggressive, local tumor. No matter how many times we had it removed, it came back. That tumor proved to be his end as we could no longer remove the tumor and close up the wound. We tried and tried... Nothing worked and we lost our much loved Spoof the Goof. We never expected to lose Spoof before BJ.

BJ was my "Six Million Dollar" dog. Not unlike the TV character, the "Six Million Dollar Man", BJ had been rebuilt several times. When he was about 16 weeks old, he had broken his femur in the stifle. He & a littermate, Flight, had an accident and Flight came out of it with a twisted pelvis and BJ a broken leg. He had two surgeries on that leg before he was a year old. There were concerns that he'd not finish his championship and that he would never course. Well, BJ proved them wrong on all accounts. He not only earned his breed ring title, he earned two field championships.

BJ was my boy. If I went upstairs, he followed. If I went to the kitchen, he followed. If I slept on the sofa, he got up there and slept with me. I made the statement some time ago that my long departed Jato held my heart, but BJ owned it. The ties between he & I can never be torn asunder not even by death. It is with great sorrow that I lost BJ last Wednesday. Even though his spirit was willing, his body gave out. On Tuesday, he could stand and totter about. On Wednesday, he could not support himself with his rear. He could not stand to go to the bathroom. He could not stand to eat. He could not stand. With great sadness, BJ & I took his last car ride.

Now... the house is too quiet. I no longer hear BJ's deep bark. I no longer hear either of "my boys." I wonder, if I'll survive.