I miss you, buddy. This was my first birthday in 11 years celebrated without you. It was a good birthday, but I missed you. You would have made it so perfect.
Category Archives: Stories of a much loved dog
Spontaneous Amnesia
I miss you. There’s this crazy spot in my brain that hasn’t realized you’re gone from my life yet. I keep forgetting. I forgot this morning and again tonight when I was parking in our driveway. I imagined what you were doing – wagging your tail and standing at the door in anticipation of me opening it to give you love. These are only split second memory lapses but they are painful just the same. Maybe I like that there’s a spot in me that hasn’t realized you’re gone yet. Maybe it keeps your memory closer to me. I love you, baby bear.
No More Scary Storms
It stormed so loud and scary here last night. Reminded me of how Brutus would shake and always come to me during a storm no matter how old he was. I loved that he found comfort in me. I sure found comfort in him. Sweet Boo.
Paw Print on our Hearts
This may be just an impression made out of clay, but he also left an impression on our hearts. Still missing my Baby Bear. It has been a week and a day.
Sweet Girls
My sweet nieces sent cards to us for Brutus. Just got them in the mail today. Love you girls!
A Very Special Card
Got a card in the mail today from the awesome people at Acworth Animal Hospital, signed by all the staff. It meant so much. I’ll treasure this forever.
Has It Really Been a Day?
Written by Jane Buchanan
Has it really already been an entire day since I said good bye to you? Since I cradled your head in my arms? Since I watched you get weaker and weaker until you took that dreaded last breath? Since the doctor took your vitals and looked up, giving me those dreaded words, “He’s gone.” I wish I could go back in time and pet your velvety ears and kiss your big nose. I miss that Brutus smell you always had (even after a bath) of grass and dirt…and that own personal doggie smell you always added to it. I never knew I’d love a dog this much. I always considered myself a cat person. You changed all that. You came into my life and changed me forever. You were truly a gift from God. I wish He had let me keep you a little longer, but I am thankful for the time I had with you. You will always be my special baby bear.
Photo taken by Julie Ross Photography.
We Miss You Boo!
Written by Margie Matheson
Brutus was such a special dog!  He never met a stranger…every time the door bell rang, there was an opportunity for a new friend…whether it was the UPS delivery man, the lady who delivers the mail, a neighborhood kid…it didn’t matter! He would push out the door ahead of you (and scare whoever was on the other side because of his size!) to make his new friend! He was so gentle, and everyone that met him fell instantly in love with him.
He was originally mine and my sister’s dog. We got him to look out for us when she and I got our own place.  From behind the fence, he seemed ferocious and scary but as soon as you stepped foot onto our property, you were instantly his buddy!  In the early days, he was an escape artist…he figured out how to open the latch on the gate. He would run around the neighborhood literally trying to play with the cars! I can’t think of countless times where we would drive around the neighborhood trying to bribe him into the car with bologna!
I said he was our dog, but he was really always Jane’s dog when we were both single.  He LOVED her! She went on vacation once and it was just me and Brutus in the house.  He sat outside her door looking at me (an scratching at her door) as if he thought I was hiding her somewhere. One day he managed to get into her room and he pooped on her bed a few times–he was very well l potty trained–it was just to let her know that she better never leave him again!
Well, when Jane married Clint, I knew that Brutus had to go with them. For 8 years he was out of my life because they lived so far away from us.  How thankful I am that for the last almost 2 years of his life, I got to be around him almost every day…the first 9 months or so, he actually lived in our home and then when Jane and Clint got their own house in Georgia, he still came to work with them every day! I missed him this morning when they walked into work and he wasn’t with them. I missed him tonight when we got back from dinner and he didn’t greet us at the door. Brutus brought so much joy to so many people. He was deeply loved and will be sorely missed.
Watching the neighborhood with his best bud
Loved That Ride
Brutus just couldn’t get enough of riding in the car or truck. Made him so happy.
Can’t Believe It’s Not A Dream
Just woke up the first morning after you left us. Can’t believe it wasn’t just a bad dream. You’re really gone. Your pillow is down on the floor still, but it’s empty. I miss waking up to you looking at me and wagging your tail. You filled the last 11 years of my life with such happiness. I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything in this world.
So Much Snow!
We lived in Spokane, Washington for 8 years. Typically, Dobermans don’t like cold weather like we experienced there, but Brutus was an exception to that rule. He LOVED the snow! He would go out and roll around in it and play till he came back inside dripping wet. One year it snowed so much that we had to dig a path for him in the back yard so he could potty! The snow was over 2 and a half feet high! He still liked it though. He went around making sure the “walls” of the pathway were a very nice shade of yellow. FYI – Don’t eat yellow snow!
Click, click, click
I always knew when Brutus was coming to see me. His toenails gave him away every time. Click, click, click was the sound I heard when he came walking down the hall to where I was. He was very particular about his toenails, too. He always kept them perfectly manicured. I never had to clip them because he constantly chewed on them. Silly boy. I’ll miss that sound.
Our Dog, Our Friend
Written by Jane Buchanan
I wouldn’t necessarily put myself in the category of “Dog Person.” I would, however, label myself a “Brutus Person.”
My sister, Margie, and I got Brutus 11 years ago. We were single girls and needed a guard dog. We had no idea how much we would grow to love this sweet Doberman/Chow mixed breed dog. He was the biggest puppy in the litter. He earned his name by the comment made by the owner, “He’s quite a brute, isn’t he?”
He was a crazy puppy; always finding ways to get out of the yard and go running around the neighborhood. We had a tornado rip through our town in Green Cove Springs, Florida once when he only weighed about 10 pounds and luckily, he wasn’t taken away from us that day.
After I got married in 2002, we moved to Washington state and took our Brutus with us. He LOVED the cold and especially the snow. We lived there for 8 years and then moved back to the south (Georgia) when Brutus was about 10 years old. Brutus’ health continued to decline until we finally decided to have him put to sleep on January 31, 2012. He had a breathing problem that caused him not to get enough oxygen in his body. In turn, this began to make the other organs in his body to start to fail. Rather than watch him die a painful death, we decided to do the humane thing and let him go without any pain.
We were with him until the end, crying and telling stories of his life. After our veterinarian administered the shot to him, his sweet heart stopped beating within about 30 seconds. It was a very peaceful death. We stayed with him for about another 10 minutes after he left us and then said good bye to our friend forever. Good bye, little bear. We will miss you always.
Brutus: October 2000 - January 31, 2012 