Cletis

August 31, 2001 — April 03, 2009

Cletis Lou Mack Stonecrusher, known as Cletis

We lost our beloved Cletis to leukemia. He had a relatively short struggle. He fought very hard to live, really his entire life, but especially the last 1 1/2 weeks. We fought hard on his behalf, but lost the battle. We know with all certainty that we did everything we could in the short time we had to fight. He gave us clues 2 days prior that he was ready. So we had to get ready too. It was hard to say goodbye to this special little guy. We were with him at the end and feel sure he was aware we were here.

We loved him very much. He truly was a member of our family. Our hearts are very heavy. This is a tough adjustment. The house is far too quiet. Although he was not a noisy dog (never whined, wimpered, cried and rarely barked), by virtue of the breed, he breathed loud and snored unrivaled.

We adopted him at 6 weeks old. He had health challenges his entire life and because of those challenges, he required a lot of time to take care of and treat. But his companionship was worth it. He was a bundle of personality. Some of it not so wonderful, but most of it was awesome. Although being in the country doesn't warrant seeing a lot of people, those he met thought he was very special. Those who barely knew him are sad that he is no longer with us. It is so hard to leave home in the morning without our little goofy routine to get him to his room. And it is even harder to come home to no greeting. The evenings are long.

Cletis had shown signs of his age. His face mask was getting whiter and his former red back legs were more white than red. And he had aches and pains too. But he lumbered through every day with a smile and thrill for joining us upstairs in the evenings. And of course his craze over fruit, ice cream, and popcorn. Yup, fruit -- watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, and oranges. He knew by our schedule on Sunday morning that it was Sunday and that meant popcorn night. And his favorite games? Well, that would be playing with empty plastic pop bottles (his bath time treat) and tipping garbage cans over. What a thrill for him!

He seemed to truly understand our language. And there was nothing like the cock of his head to know he got it.

He was my little buddy. My constant companion. My shadow. My sidekick. Typically wherever I was in the house or outside, he was with me, with some independence of course as only stubborn Bulldogs demand.

He stamped his big paw on our hearts and will never be forgotten. He gave us a lot of crazy wonderful memories. We continue to grieve for you little buddy, will never forget you, and will always long for your presence.

Mom and Dad