In Memory of Fred

1997 -2008

Three years ago my family won the dog lottery when we adopted 8 year old Fred and 7 year old George together from the French Bulldog Rescue Network. When their loving owner had become too infirm to care for them, the wonderful volunteers at FBRN opened their collective embrace to these two senior citizen canines until they came to our forever home with us. Some said the dogs won the lottery too.

These two dear old guys came to us after we had recently lost two loyal rescue companions, a 17 year old Schnauzer and a 15 year old Corgi. Their Frenchie sister, Bette, also a rescue, was a little lonesome. Actually, that probably isn’t quite true. We were the lonesome ones because Bette always thought she was the only dog…but she quickly came to love her new buddies.

Fred and George have been a delight in our lives with their sweet nature, quirky endearing habits and the abundant love shared unconditionally with us all.

Dear angel face Fred crossed the rainbow bridge last week, and there is a hole in our hearts that will be tough to fill. He packed more love into the past 3 years than we could have ever imagined.

Our first days with George and Fred involved a cross country roadtrip to Chicago from their Frenchie foster home in Virginia. There was an overnight stop in Pittsburgh where a four star hotel put out the welcome mat for all of us. Fred and George balked at the gilded revolving doors at first but welcomed being carried over the threshold to all that luxury. Fred and George snuggled into our bed that night and straight to our hearts. They didn’t miss a night in our bed since.

Fred and George, along with Bette, knew every cushy spot at both our weekend home in the Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan and our suburban Chicago home. They all loved going to the office with us and endeared themselves to our dog loving and tolerant co-workers.Fred had the most adorable habit of “dancing in circles” whenever he was excited. Everyone who knew him loved that little dance and the polite little showman put on all the theatrics whenever he was asked. He also liked pizza crust and was intent on getting his share when we had ours. He would stand near the kitchen counter, look up and bark until he got his treat.

We’re all grieving today, especially George. We’ve shared our lives, our hearts and our beds with numerous dogs and a cat, but losing one never gets easier. It is a hard day here and I miss that little guy terribly.