My dog Peanut graduates from Puppy Training Class

This Sunday (July 3rd), my dog Peanut AKA "Peanut Butter" will graduate from Puppy Training Class. He is a 15 pound 10 month old double dappled colored Dachshund. Ironically,
July 3rd will be a year to the date that our dog Dr Pepper (a Black and Tan 12 pound Dachshund) passed away after nearly 18 years of being in our lives.

To many of you the loss of a pet may not sound as bad, but it is easy to get attached to a lovable little guy. Dr Pepper was special, he picked up real quick that I could not hear well, so he would go get me, bark, and show me where the ringing (door or phone) originated.

In Dr Pepper’s last three years of life, he had a ruptured disk repaired slowly lost his hearing and eyesight. I and Annette still cared for him with the same love and patience we had done for years. Even in his last year, he gave us a gift. He went to see my mother-in-law in the nursing home and coaxed her to open her eyes for the last time (in May of 2003).

Peanut is his own special bundle of animated love and hyperactive energy. He wall never be Dr Pepper, but he will be all 100% Peanut. I can't help but love Peanut.

We also have another Dog, Buster. He is a Bassett Hound and he is about a year and a half old. We rescued him a week before Dr Pepper Passed away. Buster is so full of love that everybody loves him. If he sees you on the street, he acts like you are his old friend. BTW, Buster graduated from Puppy Training last year.

We are trying to prepare Buster to be a therapy dog and visit nursing homes/schools with him. It is a lout tougher than I thought to prepare him. I am hoping that he will be ready to take the test (yes there is a test for therapy dogs) in about another year.

Now I know somewhere out there, there is someone saying "Peanut Buster a perfect Parfait". The best way to describe them is that they look alike except one is big and 40 pounds and the other is small and 15 pounds, and their facial coloring is exactly the same. I guess I could've named them Dr Evil and Mini Me......

Fr Atkinson at St Michaels in Memphis used to bless the pets every year on St Francis Feast Day. Now that he (Fr Atkinson) has retired, I wonder who will pick up the tradition. I can see Fr. Victor at St Mikes in Memphis continuing the tradition.

So remember, I will both celebrate and grieve on Sunday.

I think Peanut & Buster will work extra hard to fill up the empty area that has sadness with joy!
I have a picture of me/Dr Pepper and me/Buster on the blog. I will post one of Peanut soon.