| Here's Thumper. I picked her up a few years ago from the Heart of Texas Lab Rescue (HOT-LR). From the story I was told she was almost dead when HOT-LR retrieved her from her former owners. They said it took almost two years to bring her back to a point where she could be adopted. She's had a very rough life. It's sad to think someone would treat a dog as bad as that. She is a true Black Lab. She's soft, has shiny hair, big ears, wide beaver style tail and big paws. She had few of her teeth left but still loves doggie bones. Lately though her age has caught up to her and I don't expect her to be with me much longer. At least her last two or three years have been good. |
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 Early this morning (04/07/06) I had to let Thumper go. I had the pleasure of adopting Thumper on the 11th of August, 2002. Thumper came from an abusive home and she had been in HOTLR’s care for some time before she was healthy enough to be released for adoption. At that time she was estimated to be around 10 to 12 years old. Thumper was an amazingly loving lab. She would rub her nose up against me much like a cat and walk on by, just far enough to have her behind in scratching distance. She also loved to have her ears and neck scratched. She would bounce on her front paws at feeding time and she would bark. This was the only time she would bark. She was very tolerant of the vet’s needle when that was needed. She had come down several times with forms of skin cancer which were quickly removed. About six months ago she came down with Cushing’s which caused her immune system to go crazy. Treatment with several medications helped, for awhile. Last night I was cleaning one of the lesions on her hind leg and I could see that her skin had now deteriorated to the point where it was no longer protecting the muscle under it. Pretty much Thumper had a large hole in her skin and I could see her leg muscle underneath. She snapped at me when I tried to clean the wound. This was the first and only time she had ever snapped at me. I knew she was in pain. This morning she and I visited the vet, her for the last time. The vet discussed the treatment options with me and asked me what I wanted to do. He never once suggested putting her down. I made the choice to let her go, he walked up beside me and said in a soft voice, “I wouldn’t say it until you did, but that’s what I would do too.” I didn’t want her to be in any more pain. I stayed in the room through to the end and for a little while longer. I thank HOTLR for allowing me to have the best dog in the world. Thumper was cremated and I will be taking her ashes to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in late June to spread them near where I buried my first Black Lab, Mandy. I miss Thumper very much.
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