We had to say goodbye to Forsberg on July 5th. After returning from a recruiting trip, we noticed that Forsberg was having trouble urinating. He didn't eat much while we were gone and he had some accidents that were uncharacteristic of him. I thought he was just mad at us for leaving him but an ultrasound at the vet's office the morning after we got back showed a cancerous tumor in his bladder that was blocking his "plumbing."
There was nothing they could do for him.
We are so thankful that we got to spend some precious time with him and then Eric and the doctor helped him transtion from earth into Heaven--where squeaky toys and treats abound!
Eric and I are heart broken. EJ doesn't quite get it. All he says is, "Mommy sad." The only thing I have felt like doing today is looking at pictures of him and thinking about what a fantastic dog he was. Here are some of the images we love.
This is the only picture I have of Forsberg as a puppy. I inherited Forsberg from my friend, John, who took a job in San Francisco and didn't feel right about taking a big dog into the city. I loved the dog and was thrilled to have him.
FRIENDS
Forsberg didn't know a stranger and he was kind to every creature. He was sweet to our friends and their dogs and became friends with many of them. I found several pictures but are missing his buddies Lindy and Bailey.
Forsberg and Rebound-his buddy in his later years. Kelly loved Forsberg like he was her own. She would do (and did!) anything for him and Forsberg loved her (and rebound) right back.
Cluny came on the scene recently and he loved visiting with Forsberg between the fences and in the front yard. Andi said it best when she said that Cluny is to Forsberg as Foreman is to Ali. Cluny flittered around and Forsberg like a butterfly...and thankfully neither "stung like a bee"...Forsberg just let him play!
Forsberg and his Dallas girlfriend, Heidi. Heidi was definitely in charge...and Forsberg loved it!
Perhaps his best buddy over all the years was Casey. They were two peas in a pod. Casey's owner, Craig, also loved Forsberg and helped me take care of him when his cancer was first discovered at age 2. I couldn't afford the costly surgery or lift Forsberg in and out of the car after his invasive surgery and Craig came to the rescue. I will forever be grateful for Craig's generosity and kindness. We went on countless trips, walks, and one decorative bird house (he'll know what that means)!
Here they are up at Lake Dillon near Breckenridge. Craig would throw the retrieving toy into the lake and Casey would run and jump off the dock to get it. Forsberg would run, put the brakes on, them slowly jump in and take the retrieving toy away when Casey came back to the dock. Casey did all the work and Forsberg took all the credit!
FAMILY
Forsberg was the best dog anyone could ask for. He was so sweet and loving. He never complained when I put silly hats on him or when Eric tackled him. He loved Eric so much. He loved going to the baseball field at DBU and running the entire outfield. The players would laugh because inevitably Coach would be out there with his special shovel picking up Forsberg's business! One of Eric's special memories is all the snuggle time they did on the couch. Forsberg was an 85lb lap dog! Those two could fill up a couch and stay for hours!
Both of our families loved him too. I haven't found all the family pictures but we are grateful for all the love our families gave our precious boy. My mom was so sweet to him. She made a Christmas stocking for him and always had treats for him. My dad has taken care of him for weeks and weeks during our traveling and moving over the years. My parents treated him like he was their own. I know their hearts are sad too.
This was his favorite toy my mom got him. He carried this squirrel around with him everywhere!
I can't even begin to tell you what this dog has meant to me. We had so much fun together. We shared a love for nice leather. I liked leather shoes and he liked eating my leather shoes. Thankfully, when Eric came along he brought baseballs and gloves that completely satisfied his love and my shoes were finally left alone!
He truly was God's perfect gift to me to bring comfort in my trials to have a baby. On days that I would get bad news, I would head to bed and lay there and cry and he wouldn't move from my side. He was also on every prayer walk we took. For a year before we had EJ, we would walk every night and pray to God for a baby. Thankfully, he was there when we got the good news too. He never once told me I looked fat! :-)
Here we are on Mother's Day in 2007. I was 7 months pregnant. Little did he know how his life would change.
In July of 07, Eric stuffed Forsberg and luggage into our little Volvo and moved to Nebraska. On the trip he busted open some stitches from a procedure to remove tumors so Eric had to find an emergency vet in Lincoln to sew him back up. That led to us finding our vet in Lincoln who was amazing. He really gave Forsberg his life back in the later years by finding a good solution to his epileptic seizures that became more frequent as he aged.
Two days after the boys arrived, I flew to Nebraska and within the month, Forsberg became a big brother! As you can see, he wasn't too interested in meeting EJ when we came home from the hosptial but he eventually warmed up to him.
EJ LOVED Forsberg from the minute he could recognize him. He would climb all over Forsberg and he would never complain. Forsberg would try to lick the food off of EJ's face and he always cleaned up the floor when EJ finished eating. That hit me hard today when I cleaned up after lunch and dinner and Forsberg wasn't there to help me clean up the food under EJ's chair.
As EJ got older, he wanted to play with Forsberg more and more. They had a sweet relationship and even as Forsberg was getting sick and slowing down, he let EJ climb on him and roll around with him on the floor. He always welcomed EJ into his kennel and made room for him. I think he knew that he was going to get lots of food from this kid so he was happy to entertain him!
This was the last picture I got of them together. It was earlier this summer at my parent's house.
Mark Twain describes it best when he said, "Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." It's so true! Forsberg was so good to us. He taught us compassion and unconditional love. He was a gift from God and he will be deeply missed. We will forever cherish him and know that we were truly blessed to know him and have him in our family for 12 years.
Love ya Buddy!!!
