Korkie - It's almost a year later and we still miss you! It's taken a long time to write this down. - Dave

We had to put Korkie (our Belgian Tervuren) to sleep on Friday December 23, 2005. She developed an aggressive form of stomach cancer, which slowly took her energy and appetitie. The last three weeks have been hard relizing how short her time with was to be, how disheartening it was when she was sick, and how elated we were when her old self would peek out. A rather rough rollercoaster ride for the Christmas Holiday.

Our vet made a house call at our request, avoiding the stressful enviroment of their office. We gathered around her favorite squirrel watching patio door and said our goodbyes. I held my friend as she went to sleep for the last time.

Korkie’s personality was a strange mix of stubbornness, awareness, and intensity. All those traites, although irritating at times, made her the exceptional character that she was. Her demands for making room for her on the couch and bed, her persistance in weaseling out one more treat from one of us before bed-time and the general way my daughter claimed she had us wrapped around her paw, (like she wasn’t too) makes her absence all the more difficult. If any dog needed human affection and contact this one did.

When she was at the Vet’s over the weekend before we took her OSU, one of the Office Assistances Allisa, groomed Korkie while she was there, something she loves. Was this a normal routine for the Vet’s office while taking care of sick dogs? I suppose it could but we wonder.

Then a few days later while we had her at the OSU Clinic, after they took her to the clinic area for her basic evaluation, the Med Student and resident came out praising Korkie as a wonderfully sweet and angelic dog. My daughter and I looked at each other wondering which dog they got Korkie mixed up with. We only saw one Terv in the waiting room? Suckers!

When we picked her up the next day after her scope procedure, again the Med Student and Resident talked about how she was just so sweet and spent the previous evening and that morning wandering around in the back making sure everything was OK as Tervern police dogs do. She was wandering aound the back free? Did they treate all the dogs left for treatment that way? Or did Korkie have some magical way with people besides us?

We’re already missing her. She always greeted us at the door afterwork with a required intense licking…in fact that’s how we were put to bed and how we were awakened. If anyone fell back to sleep on a work day, up she came to remind us to get up….and hiding your face only created a greater challenge to her! The morning routine started with a discussion of the day’s activities at the top of the stairs, with a few licks thrown in for good measure, then off to breakfast time!

Took the twins for a walk last night and it just wasn’t the same. Wonderful dogs (didn’t feel the need to poop or mark territory, yes I swear Korkie would stop and pee every 20 yards). No pulling er dragging to get to the squirrel trees, just a tight leash. Must have been different for Maggie too, but she didn’t let on. Dilly was her normal self, oblivious and nervious.

Also rather quiet arouind the house, no frequent trips to the snack door. No head on our laps, or having to move off her spot!

We miss you Korkie!