While this was going to be a eulogy for Tigger, the more Charles and I typed the more we wanted something else to remember our baby. Charles told me he was afraid that he’d forget all the years we had with Tigger as he got older. So this began as something short and sweet and ended as a dedication to the best companion we ever had.
On Sunday October 28, 1990 a small white toy male poodle was born. I got him for a Christmas gift from my father I received him about December 10, 1990. We named him Wendy Sue and Tigger Too. We called him Tigger. I remember one evening, the first time he found his tail; boy did he give us an hour of fun watching him run in circles trying to catch it. WE were laughing so hard and loud that my father got out his bed and ran down the hall of the house wondering what was going on.
I had made a bed for him to sleep in, but he would only cry until we would put him in bed with us. He wanted to be held and loved all the time, because he was a very loving dog. He always slept with us from that time on. Normally about 9:00 in the evening Tigger would almost always jump from our laps would want to be let outside, and when he came in, he would stand by the doorway at the bedroom trying to tell us it was time for bed, if this didn’t work he would jump in bed, thinking this might make us come to bed. If this didn’t work he would often get out of bed and come to the doorway again and make low ruffled barks to get our attention. This would almost always work, and we would follow him. Tigger would always want to lay down beside Charles between the covers, lay his head on Charles’s arm and Charles would have to scratch him on his chest till Tigger fell asleep. During the night, Tigger would get up and walk across us and sleep next to me. Sometimes Tigger would snore louder than Charles. When Tigger needed to go outside during the night, he would walk up and down my body to wake me. He had the boniest little feet and they felt like toothpicks being poked in me. If this wouldn’t work, he’d hop down on the floor and bark till someone woke up.
When we first started giving Tigger a hair cut; he would get what is called a ‘puppy cut’, but when he became about a year old, we started giving him a ‘Town and Country cut’. The first few times back from the cutter he would hide, or walk sheepishly around the house. This was because he was embarrassed, and that all the dogs may think he was a sissy. Charles and I, would brag on him, and hold him, telling him how handsome he looked and that the red nail polish on his toes looked like real blood. This sort of made him feel better. After a few times getting clipped, he would prance around the house for every one to notice his haircut and brag on him. He was such a show off sometimes. …and as Charles would say…”two haircuts a month at $25.00 each time comes up to $8,500.I only get a haircut once every three months at $8.00.” Tigger was always pampered and taken care of exceptionally well, and he was worth every penny. He loved everyone so much, and he was unselfish in sharing his love.
When we were getting things ready for us to move to the farm I would take Tigger with us, he was so small that while we were working I would put him in my sweatshirt pocket to keep him warm. We would work all day and he would play around us. One time he fell asleep on a pile of leaves that we were raking. He looked like a little bird nesting.
Every time Charles would come home from work he and Tigger went through a ritual; Charles would try to sneak past Tigger when he was asleep on the futon, and of course Tigger would wake up, jump to the floor and begin begging for a treat and attention. Charles would touch Tigger, and ask him how his “Big Boy” was and read the mail at the kitchen counter and Tigger would pester Charles till he got his deserved treat. Tigger would than want to go outside, do his number, sniff the air and look over his farm. When he was finished he’d want Charles to let him back in and finish the daily ritual. Charles would walk to the den, turn on some music and Tigger would lead Charles through the house from the den to the office, where Charles would then turn on the computer, sit down and prop his legs on a chair to relax. Tigger would jump up on the chair and unto Charles’s lap. From there, they would complete the daily ritual of Charles talking to Tigger, and Tigger in turn would began conversing with Charles by panting and putting his paws on Charles’s chest, looking Charles face to face. After Tigger was finished, he’d lift up a front leg for Charles to scratch his underneath. This would go on for a few minutes and Charles would be telling Tigger how his mean dog abuses him by making Charles do little tricks everyday, but if Tigger would be just a little bit nicer, we would keep him one more day. After a few minutes, Tigger would be tired of this and lay down on Charles’s lap. I remember when Charles would play or hum Wagner’s, “Flight of the Valkries,” at the computer and Tigger would sing to it. At times if Tigger got bored or uncomfortable on Charles’s lap he would get up and climb over Charles’s shoulders and get on the desk and check things out and then climb back down (sometimes I think he thought he was agile as a cat). When Tigger would hear the computer sign off and start shutting down, he would jump down to floor and wait for Charles to go back into the den with him. This went on for many years.
Every time I came home from work he would beg for a treat and I would give him one. He had us trained.
Tigger loved to run from the den to the office while stopping on a rug in the kitchen to slide. He would do this until he would get tired. He had a lot of toys, but the one he loved was a red teddy bear, he chewed the eyes off it and played with it all the time until he became older and he would only want to be loved and love us. When Tigger was younger, he would take Charles’s dirty underwear and socks and hide the garments under our bed as Charles was taking a shower. When Charles would get a hole in one of his socks, he would tie a knot in one end and give them to Tigger. He loved to have someone play tug of war with him with one of these socks. You could pick him up while he was hanging on and swing him around in circles. He loved to hang onto a towel with his teeth that Rebecca had, and she would twist it up tight and left it off the floor along with Tigger and he would hang on to it while it untwisted. This was great fun for him and he would do this time after time.
Christmas, was one of Tigger’s favorite times of the year. As I would wrap gifts and place them under the tree, Tigger would go check the presents out and smell them to see witch ones were his. On Christmas day, he would go from person to person checking out what they were opening and about every sixth gift he would come to Charles or myself and look up at us wanting another gift for himself. Santa was always good to Tigger, as he would usually get a whole year’s worth of treats and toys. After he would tire, he would go to Charles or myself and want to be carried, that way he would get a better view of what the children were opening. When I would prepare our Christmas dinner, he was always in the kitchen helping me, and watching what I was doing. He was great at picking occasional food drop on the floor. In fact, I think he believed I was a very sloppy cook from all the things I would drop.
When we first moved to the farm Tigger was only about a year old. When I would let him out of the house he would often put his nose in the wind and wonder off. I would go outside and call for him, and he would ignore me. It would embarrass Charles for me to stand on the porch calling Tigger. We had black neighbors and when I would call for Tigger, it probably sounded like “Here Nigger”, because our neighbors used to really give weird looks at me when I was calling. One day, Charles told me to only call for him one time then get a switch. Shortly after, Charles let him outside and sure enough, Tigger started wondering off and left our property. Charles called one time, and then cut a weeping willow branch from a tree growing at the edge of our pond. He went up behind Tigger and popped him one time and Tigger yelped and started running to our house and Charles was right behind him cracking the willow branch in the air, terrifying Tigger all the more….Tigger never left our property after that, and when I called him, he would come to me.
Tigger’s place to stay while we were at work was on the futon in the sun room or on the blue chair in the sun room. He knew when we would come home. Before I started work he would go and wait by the picture window about 10 minutes before Charles would come home from work and when he would see the car he would run to the back door to greet him. When I started work he would stay on the futon and Charles would come in first and give him a treat and play with him, then just before I would come home he would go and get back on the futon. This he did so that he would be that second treat.
As a puppy he wanted to go every place with us and we took him up until he started to bark all the time. As he was in the truck or car in the winter or summer we always left it running to keep him warm or cool. He loved to be with us every where. Up till about Tigger’s last year, he would always like to stand on his hind legs and put his front paws on the dash of the car and look out the front window. I think he got to know his way around pretty good. When someone would take him in town to get a haircut, he’d lay asleep or look out the front window until, the car turned off College road, and he’d jump in the back window and bark the rest of the way….bark and bark and bark.
When he was young we took him down to see the pigs and goats that we had. I wasn’t thinking one day, and didn’t pick him up. He put his nose on the electric wire that we had to keep the animals in. This hurt him every much and he began to run for the house, he passed the house once and went around it twice, before he came upon the back door and wanted in. I ran with him and tried to catch him so that I could love him, but he ran faster than I could. When he stopped by the back door I picked him up loved him and put him in the house where he felt safe.
He would always beg for Charles to pick him up when Charles was standing and he wouldn’t give up until Charles did. I believe this was his most favorite place to be, he wanted to be as high as everyone else in the room, and would often fall asleep in Charles’s arms.
Tigger would come up to me when I was cooking and scratch me on the back of my leg until I would give him a little something to nibble. He would hear when I would put my cheese grader together and would come running. He loved cheese and I would give him some every time.
When Tigger got older he didn’t trust our grandchildren any more, because he thought they would hurt him. If he was lying on the futon or chair and they started to sit near him, he would bite them on their butts.
He was a very loving dog to everyone that he came in contact with. He would always let anyone walk into the house, but he would always bark profusely when they started to leave.
The day we lay Tigger down, was so sad. Charles and I held onto him all day. Tigger was so weak, and he did his very best to still show Charles and I the attention he always gave us. We made arrangements for the veterinarian to stop by our home, as we were not going to take Tigger back to the Vet’s office. Before the appointed hour, it seemed Tigger knew his time was drawing near, as he licked both our hands as an act of kissing us Good-bye. We could tell from the way Tigger acted that he was ready. When the Veterinarian arrived, Charles asked the doctor twice if there was any possible hope. WE both were holding back tears the best we could. I held Tigger in my arms as the doctor gave Tigger his injection. His breathing became slow and than it stopped. Charles had his face next to Tigger so our baby could see someone he loved before he left us. The doctor, Charles and I cried. The doctor knew how much Charles and I loved our beloved Poodle. It was as if he were sleeping in my arms.
Charles made arrangements with the local crematorium to ready Tigger for an urn we got for him. Charles and I had previously discussed if we should bury or cremate our baby when he passed away. Charles stayed outside the crematorium during Tigger’s preparation. Charles wanted to breath in any part of Tigger he could from the ashes in the air. WE both feel that when the first one of us dies, that Tigger will be laid beside the first of us, inside the casket to keep each other company until the spouse joins them. We placed a headstone for Tigger behind our monument underneath the 23rd Psalm, and placed a light layer of earth atop, so no will say anything about a dog being buried in Oak Dale Cemetery.
I had a dream and Tigger made me get up at 12:30 AM on February 10, 2005 to write this down so we wouldn’t forget.
He was afraid of the rain
When his bottom chin would quiver like a little child crying when we would have an argument. He didn’t want to see his Mom and Dad fight.
How he would pull a the back of you pants when we were getting to go some place and he wanted us to come back in the house, or when we were in the car and would get out and wouldn’t take him how he would wrap his front legs around our arm and walk backwards to get us to get back in the car.
How he would bark at the sound of the water going down the drain in the bath tub.
How he would play tag with you. He would run around the sofa and wouldn’t let you catch him until he got tired of this game.
Or the times when he got upset with us and would go and sit on Dad’s (Joe’s) lap.
What about the time we went and stayed with Peggy and he got flees for the first time.
Or the times when Nichell was a baby in her crib and I wouldn’t go to her fast enough he would run to me an then back to the crib. He would do this until I would pick her up.
How he hated the cold and always wanted to be covered up.
Or how he would stand on the arm of the chair when you were eating on a TV tray so he could be closer to the food incase you wanted to give him some.
How about all the times he would bring you all his toys, but every time you would pick up one he would take it away and wait for you to do it again so he could take it again. One of his favorite games as a puppy.
How under the bed when I cleaned it there were dollar bills chewed up and we wonder where he got them all from.
When he was older and asleep and I would get up and he was still asleep and he would go throw the house until he found you.
How after Brantley moved out to the farm and he would go outside he would lead you around Brantley’s house then Rebecca’s house before he would come home.
How he loved to chase the chickens to get them to run so just to stop and watch them or run after the deer and do the same.
Or how Reb let him know who was boss when he was a puppy and scratched him on the face and Tigger never bothered him again.
Or the times when you were out of town and would call home and someone would hold the phone to his ear and he would come alive because he recognized your voice.
How he loved to go to the ANV Conventions with us and he would lead you to where to go when he needed to go out because he remembered from year to year which way to go. For him this was the back way.
Or the times he went to Ft. Branch with us and slept on the cot next to you and never made a sound all night, but if you slept in the car he would bark at every person that went by and would sleep on top of you.
In a dream he said to me I wished you would have given me one more chance with the water (I think he meant the IV’s) but you didn’t, but that’s OK, because I’m young again and can run around with no pain.
In a dream he told me to turn down the music so I could hear him better.
He told me to tell Daddy (Charles) not to cry anymore because I love and miss him too, but I could only come to one person and I choose Mommy (Wendy), because she is easier to wake up.
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Tigger Too
