Tanner-Banner from puppymill to pampered prince

Yesterday I ended my post talking about the fact my parents might be putting my dog to sleep today. So today I am going to share with you the story of Tanner-Banner..

When I was living in Florida I came across a puppy mill. Before then I had read about them but never actually seen one in real life. It was so heartbreaking to see so many different breeds of dogs (and puppies) in rows of cages. While they all looked healthly you could see how unhappy they were in their eyes. Needless, to say I make some phone calls and the place was put out of business (at least for a little bit).

I was able to rescue one of the puppies. He was the odd dog out. Taller than his parents. Bigger than his siblings. Just an all around goof of a pup. I knew he was most likely either a mix or the result of a lot of inbreeding but it was not his fault. He was most likely an Italian Greyhound/Whippet mix.

Full of worms and every other parasite his first visit to the vet was fun. After that was all out of his system he was a great little dog. Housebreaking was pretty easy; minus sneaking out of work to let him outside for potty breaks. Soon he was even coming to work with me and sleeping under the desk. In fact, it was one of the girls at work that named him.

He went on all my roadtrips and was normally always at my side. What was so great was that he was more like a cat, and my cat was more like a dog. My cat played fetch and would meow at the door if any one knocked. Tanner was more than happy to just kick back and relax. He did not understand why it was a big deal if someone came over or why chasing the ball and bringing it back was fun. All he knew was his bed was comfortable and his favorite toy was always just a squeek away.

Tanner did have some issues. Men in hats! Which we can only guess is because of something that happened to him while at the puppymill. It did not matter if the guy was sitting next to him and he watched them put on the hat. As soon as that hat was on the head he was growling and dancing around. He was also very sensitive about men in general.

When I decided to move to Hawaii there was a small problem. At that time the currently laws were that all animals had to be quarantined for six months at the state pet jail facility. This was not something that Tanner would have been able to do. It was a hard decision but after talking to my mother we both agreed that being in quaratine would either kill him or make him even worst. So, my mother said she would watch over him for me.

You know what happened. He got spoiled. Tanner found that he liked having his owner home 24/7 and a huge bed to relax on. The huge backyard that was perfect for running circles around. While in Hawaii I ended up saving Black Dog and was super excited to get back and let them become friends. They did become friends; even though Black Dog was more excited about being friends with the cats (the cats not so thrilled having another dog around) .

So, I left Tanner where he was the happiest. On my parents bed living the life of a pampered prince.

He has had a few medical issues that are normal with his breed. My mother has been super and done every single thing possible to make him comfortable and happy. However, when he recently decided to stop eating and basically gave up, my mother made the hard decision to have him put to sleep. This was not something that was done lightly. Unless an animal is in pain or their quality of life is bad would my mother even think about putting one to sleep.

She called me as I was trying to take photos of pictures of Tanner so I could add them to this post. They were at the vets and wanted to know what I wanted done. I told her that she needed to be there for Tanner when he went to sleep; of course, I didn't say it in that many words. Of all the animals I have had to put to sleep it was always the ones with the owners there that were at peace during their final moments. That might have been the most difficult thing I have ever asked my mother to do. I honestly do not think she has ever been there when an animal has been put to sleep (although I could be wrong).

Tanner is now at rest and no longer in pain. He will be missed by us all.

RIP Tanner

By the way MOM... You did all that you could and I want you to stop being sorry... It was his time to go and he let you know. If I didn't agree I would have told you so. I love you and thank you for being with him when I could not be.