HURLEY.
UNCLE HURLEY. MY BELOVED HURLEY. HURL.
HURLS. HURLS BIGURLS. WEE WEE. WEE-MAN. My FIRST BORN, MY BOOGER FACE, MY
BUBBY, MY BIG MAN…
I
had no idea when we decided to get a dog back in 2008 how life changing it
would actually be. I loved him from the moment I saw him, probably even
before that. I remember before he came home we were lying in bed and all
of the sudden Chris blurted out "Hurley" through the dark…and that is
instantly who he became. We couldn't wait to hear the constant pitter-patter
of puppy feet on our wood floors and like nerdy first parents, we would imitate
the sound. (I will probably get in trouble for making that public
knowledge!) And when we finally picked him up…boy, did he DELIVER on everything
we could have expected and then some…
We
put him down when we came in the house and he went right to the corner of the
dining room, squatted, and moved in a circle while he pooped soft-serve style
all over the floor. The first time he farted…he jumped because he scared
himself. We knew it was MEANT TO BE.
*He
was defiant…as most bulldogs are…and was never afraid to show us who was really
in charge by peeing or taking a crap ON OUR BED. Yup, that's right…ON THE
BED. And he earned the nickname "Wee Wee" and "Wee-Man" for his peeing inside.
*He
was hilariously faster and more agile than any bulldog should be. And he
has some serious ups. But at the same time had the most graceful jump up onto
our bed and landed ever so softly every time.
*His
snaggle tooth and smile…a smile like no other.
*His
two little circles of fur on his butt and one on the center of his chest, his
polka dotted neck, the one brown spot on his head, his soft ears, the
little white tip on his left ear, his half black/half white nail…just
BEAUTIFUL.
*His
boogery, runny nose…for which I nicknamed him "Boogy Face."
*His
drool "shoestrings" – which always grow when he saw you eating
something he wanted you to share…towards the end the prednisone made him so
ravenous he would drool at things he hadn’t in the past – buffalo wings w/ranch
dressing?! I left a small container of ranch dressing on the coffee table
awhile back and as soon as I turned my back he knocked it onto the floor and
licked it clean.
*HIS
SMELL, OHHHH HIS SMELL…if I could bottle it I would…and if that makes me weird,
well, I’m OK with it! The hubby and I have come home countless times and
walked upstairs to the smell of him while he's sleeping and we'll say
"Wow, buddy, you must have been sleeping HARD for all that smell."
Most people walk upstairs and say, ‘it smells like a dog…’ to which my reply
is…’Yup, AND?!’ AHHHH, and the glorious, Frito-like smell of his paws.
*His
love of our closet, his duty to protect the stairs from all who wanted to pass,
his need to always climb up and dig a "nest" in the throw pillows of a
freshly made bed, how he liked to “hide” underneath things so his downstairs
bed has always been under our coffee table.
*His
tendency to run in the opposite direction when I called him in from outside.
*If
he wanted something…he would look at you with his big brown eyes and SNEEZE
right in your face; or he would get SOOOOOO close to the food sitting on the
coffee table and just start licking the air to try and taste it.
*His
snoring at night that I could hear from down the hall if he was in Grace’s
room, or how the bed vibrated if he was sleeping with us.
*How
much he used to enjoy sprinting in circles in between our bedroom, the hall,
and Bentley's room because it is carpeted so he could get going with some great
traction on the rug and sprint in circles until he was too tired. From
downstairs, it sounded like a thunderstorm…then he would stop and we could hear
him panting like crazy at the top of the stairs.
*He
LOVED sunning himself and I had to drag him in so that he didn’t overheat.
*He
liked the water…the river at our house and the lake at his friend Jax’s house…I
will never forgot the day we were in the lake at Tor & Jay’s when he jumped
off the dock and sank like a rock…I ran in after him and then saw his little
white head approaching the surface…a bulldog that COULD swim!
*OH
YA…he has his own friends. My friends and I would actually coordinate
play dates with the dogs…like his bestie is his Boxer buddy, Jax. He had
an “arranged” friendship with Moooda. At
holiday parties, my girlfriends and I would line up all of the dogs in front of
the Christmas tree for photos. And
now…he has SO MANY friends on Facebook, it’s WILD…from all over the world!
(More on that later…)
*He
liked to get right in your face and sniff your eyeball. Who knows – maybe
it’s how he feels you out, like when he sniffs another dogs’ butt?! This
one even I can’t explain. But it made him HURLEY.
*He
liked to steal the kids’ stuffed animals and got into the habit of brining one
down every time we had company – like a welcome gift. Most of those animals
became his…as he chewed out the eyeballs and tore off the nose. Then he would
lick them like he was sorry he de-faced them.
And I am so grateful now to have those with me.
*When
I took a shower he would either sit outside the shower door like a creep and
watch me, or he would lay on my towel on the floor like he was trying to warm
it up for me.
*When
I combed my hair or turned on the blow-dryer…he would come prancing in and plop
himself at my feet – and if I didn’t comb him right away or turn the warm air
on him, he would sneeze at me until I did.
*You
were an odd guy…sneezing and barking at a lighter; curling up your lip if you
got close enough to sniff the nail file I was using or nail polish remover on
my fingers.
*He
has always thought he was a lap dog but it became particularly ‘worse’ over the
last year and all of our trips to Tufts. He would no longer stay in the back of
my car…he would jump over the seat and sit in the tiny space between the kids’
car seats – sometimes even IN a carseat if there wasn’t a child occupying it,
and he was too big to figure out how to turn himself around without stepping
all over Bentley or Grace; then he would make his way to the front with me,
climb over my lap and always had to be on my left when I was driving…between
the door and me, and he would rest his head on the steering wheel. (Disclaimer:
I realize this is probably unsafe, but trying to wrangle a 60 lb dog off your
lap while driving I determined to be WAY more dangerous.) In the event that he
stayed on the passenger’s side, he liked to rest his head on the door’s arm
rest.
*He
had never been one to chase cars, bikes…but when Bentley got his first mini-ATV
he would chase it around and bark at the front tires like an attack dog.
*When
we put the sandbox in…he decided he enjoyed rolling around in the sand until
every wrinkle and crevice on his body was covered.
He
ran this house like he paid the mortgage. He knew the sound of Chris’
work truck and could somehow distinguish that reverse beep from the beeping of
the neighbor’s box truck. He would come running down every day when I
yelled “Daddy’s HOME!” When I got pregnant with Bentley he started
sleeping across my head at night, or curled up against my stomach. He
knew. He was never a barker - but during my first pregnancy he became
much more aware of our surroundings and would bark at an odd noise or an
unusual car passing the house as if to give me a heads up that something was
different. He became a watch dog. I credit him for sending me into
labor with B because he took off down to the river for a swim, got stuck, and
when Chris finally found him I had to rush him to the vet for staples in the
back of his leg…contractions started not long after. That night I went in
to labor he waited patiently in the chair in the nursery…I found him perched up
there in the morning. (A nursery which he made sure to mark his territory in
for OH, 9 WHOLE MONTHS). With Grace, YUP he slept on my head again and
then about 3 weeks before I went into labor he sat at my feet and shook like a
leaf…as if to tell me he knew she was coming soon. (I strongly believe he
developed his anxiety as a result of my anxious tendencies.) He went to sleep
most nights in the chair in Bentley's room until we put him into a bed and
moved the chair to Grace's room…and then he would start his nights in there…He
may have had the most expensive “dog bed” of any other dog in the world.
It warmed my heart when I would hear Grace talking to him in the morning.
My kids are dog lovers because of him and although he was usually a bull
in a china shop…he was really gentle with the kids, taking his treats (or a
waffle) and giving them kisses. "Dog" was one of their first
words. And this guy was SO in tune with me…stressed, anxious, upset…he would
climb up on me and curl up by my head or try to dig under the covers and lay
with me.
He
was and always will be my LOVE…my BELOVED…my SOUL’S FUR-MATE as I like to say. I
never thought he could impact my life in the way he did…he taught me how to be
a Mom, how to love unconditionally. He was the ESSENCE OF UNCONDITIONAL
LOVE. He had an unwavering devotion to
us. He was my silent, devoted, loyal
companion who never passed judgment on me and got me through the absolute
darkest days of my life. And also the BEST – the birth of Bentley &
Grace – and if we had him at the time of our wedding, he most definitely would
have been in the bridal party! If I were
to lay on him and cry though…I have to say he DID look at me weird…but that’s
probably because he was a typical man. He let me lay on him and smother
him until…you bulldog folks know what's coming next…until the awkward moment
where you can't contain the struggle any longer and he wiggled free.
I
can thankfully say that even after the kids were born, and before his cancer
diagnosis, I never took my boy for granted. He was family…he traveled with us,
spent holidays with us. I told him every day, a hundred times a day how much I
loved him. I soaked him up, never missed
an opportunity to pet him or snuggle him.
When he would lay across my legs at night I would rather be
uncomfortable than to move him…it was more important that every second of HIS
life was as comfortable as possible. He
deserved it for everything he has given and taught us. All rules were tossed aside after he became
ill and we had many a nights where he slept with us in bed. Even at the end
nights where I slept with him on the floor because I knew he needed me. I loved
him to the fullest every day of his beautiful life; I will love him for
eternity.
One
night recently, I found him sprawled out asleep on my side of the bed…with his
head on my pillow…and he was nice enough to leave me just enough room to
squeeze in, rest my face on his head, and listen to him breathe. (and
sniff him, of course) Another recent night I went upstairs to bed and as he
usually is, expected him to be sleeping on the chair in Grace’s room. I
always sneak in to say goodnight...pet him, talk to him, tell him I love
him. But there he was, curled up in a ball on our pillows. I sat
next to him and my heart was overwhelmed with love and gratitude as I rested my
face next to his and pet his chemo-thinned fur.
He
truly is my beloved boy and I am eternally grateful to him from the depths of
my soul for the unconditional love he has given to me. Words just cannot do
justice to how special my big man will ALWAYS be.
I love you my boy…and TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES.
~E
