*Dakota*



When Ammo was about 2 we decided to buy a female puppy with plans to breed them eventually. We found an ad in the paper and left our house in the evening to drive to the Amish community of Arcola. It is around a 3 hour drive so when we arrived it was pretty late. We were so excited about getting another puppy we didn't even care about the time. I remember Ammo looked so sad so when we drove through a fast food place for supper he got a cheeseburger too. The poor guy was probably thinking what in the heck is this annoying little puppy doing going home with us. We  I named her Precious. That she was!! She was so sweet. She would come in the bathroom and cry to get in the shower with me. At this point in time I was in college attending SWIC and going to clinicals at St. Anthony's in South County. One afternoon Rhett called me in a panic looking for Precious asking if I had her with me. Why in the world would I have her I said I'm on my way home from work. It ended up our little puppy (only couple months old) had gotten run over at the farm. She was gone and it was a very sad day. Exactly 1 week after Precious was gone I saw a sign on the side of the road outside of Baldwin for lab puppies.

 



We soon had a new puppy and her name was Dakota Precious. She was a little scraggly looking but still cute and we were so sad it didn't even matter. I don't exactly remember the process of picking her out from the litter. She was a sweet girl but a little high strung. We lived in a trailer on South Prairie so we didn't have a lot of space. She would run at full speed through the living room make a pass on the couch and then turn to make a full circle. Repeat over and over and over. Dakota would sleep above my head on my pillow every night. Eventually she moved to my feet but spent quite a long time at the head of the bed. She would also crawl under our bed and tore the underneath of the mattress to shreds. One day I came home and our really nice Ralph Lauren goose down comforter/pillows were ripped to pieces. When Ammo was a puppy he liked to tear up Nintendo wiring and slippers. To each their own. My grandma was able to salvage the comforter and we still use it occasionally now. We did not plan for puppies right away but when Dakota was almost one it happened anyway. I guess Ammo just couldn't resist her. Ha!! In August 2005 she had the cutest litter of 10 puppies chocolate & yellow 5 males 5 females. Rhett & I just loved them and they were all thoroughly spoiled to pieces. Selling them was sad but once they were all gone it was nice to get back to our routine of just 2 dogs. Somehow the following year in the Spring she ended up getting bred from another dog that was not ours......We never really could figure out when who and where but on Easter morning she had a litter of 7 mutt puppies. Every single one was black and they were as cute as could be. I think we sold each puppy for different amounts- some $25, $50, a few for free. One was a brendle and he was the last to go. This was while I was going through the radiation therapy program in college. One of our cancer patients and her daughter each ended up taking a puppy. It was so nice to know the pups were going to good homes. Through the years Dakota had many more puppies equaling to a grand total of 59. We sold some to family & friends and many to strangers. Lots of happy families!! The 5th litter we decided to keep a puppy and that is how Drake became a part of our family. After having the puppies her personality really mellowed out and she was no longer so hyper. What a great doggy mommy she was. We never lost a single puppy under our watch.



Dakota would always cross her front legs when laying on the floor. Just prim and proper like a little lady. She loved stealing the pumpkins off the porch in the Fall. It didn't matter how big she always managed to drag them into the yard. She also loved dragging the food bowl into the yard spilling a trail of dog food everywhere. For some reason when we first got her I insisted on calling her Ms. Dakota. For the longest time that was what I called her. She loved playing with all toys especially water bottles. I think Drake & Ammo do miss her. Dakota & Drake played so well and always stayed in the basement together when we are not at home. Before Lainey our dogs were our kids. Through the years they have been spoiled, loved, and well taken care of. She really was my first baby girl. I know a lot of people say once you have children your dog becomes just a dog but I truly don't believe that. Yes they don't get as much attention on a daily basis but that doesn't mean they are loved any less.



Its been 1 week since our sweet Dakota went to heaven. The hardest part is when I realize that I don't have a shadow following me everywhere I go. When its time to go to sleep and she is no longer at my feet. No one waking me up throughout the night to go out to potty. The silence of no scratching at the door throughout the day. When I pull in the driveway and their only 2 dogs instead of 3 to greet me. It is definitely the little things that hurt the most. Putting our 9 1/2 year old puppy to sleep was one of the hardest things to do and my heart is still broken. I know it was the right thing because she was suffering. We buried her next to our pine trees and it is visible right outside the window of Lainey's room. We can always keep a good watch over her. My friend Darla told me to imagine that up in heaven a little girl or boy was just waiting on her. I would like to believe that right now as I type she is someone elses shadow, playing, running, eating pig ears, and being a happy dog again.