Heaven was Needing a Hero

Sorry for the corny line, but that's how much this pup meant to me.

My best buddy died today.  I realize not everyone out there is an animal lover as I am (you are so missing out).  My point is that he meant a lot to me and if you do not find this interesting, no poking fun at my loss, just wait til the next post where I will be my sarcastic self again.  This post is for Wort and will be quiet lengthy since I'm saying my goodbye and probably just doing some therapy writing.

I found Wort at the pound on Dec. 22, 1998. (Seriously people mutts make much better pets then purebreds and you're saving a life instead of creating a business)  He was just a puppy, shy and very quiet.  We brought him home and he sat quietly under the table, until we introduced him to our other dog, that's when Wort found his voice.

He sat at this window and watched the moles outside crawling around all the time, til my dad killed his entertainment.

 The name Wort comes from my sister.  I was into King Arthur, Merlin, and all that.  So I was thinking of noble names like that.  But this furry little pup didn't fit that.  On the movie The Sword in the Stone, the future King Arthur is nicknamed Wort.  My sister started calling him that and so this is where Wort got his name.  Thank you Keisha for naming my dog after a puffy skin growth. (See I still have some sarcasm in me)

I've had Wort for 13 years. He slept with me every night growing up, on the bed, until he got sick of all my squirming and jumped off the bed with an exasperated sigh.

He walked around the mall at Washington D.C. and has growled at the statue of Pres. Rosevelt's dog.  He rode our riding lawn mower with me while I mowed the lawn. 

He helped our other dog Bigfoot kill a skunk, and was then bathed in Tomato soup. 

We were in an obedience show, sadly I had made a critical error, landing us in 4th place, instead of 1st where he really belonged.
When he was a puppy he fell out of the back of a pick up truck after only having him for a few months.  (we figured our other dog threw him out :) )
He rode in a baby stroller whenever given the chance, or not given for that matter.  I carried him like a baby every where.  He rode in the baby carrier of my Mom's bike with me.  He rode with my Dad on his scooter.

When I moved away to college and then got married.  He formed a special bond with my Dad.  Going everywhere with him, and pouting until 5'o clock when my dad came home.  Wort, Lucy and my Dad went to get the mail together often.  That was when he most acted like a puppy, bouncing up and down and running everywhere.
The times that I "babysat" Wort at our house he wouldn't eat.  He missed my Dad so much that he refused to eat, well unless it was a dog treat of course.

If he was left alone he would become very anxious and bark.  We found this out one time while visiting my sister in OH.  When we got back from church there was a note from the police with a noise complaint.
He was a mutt but he had the long body of a Daschund aka Badger dog.  He had an obsession with small furry creatures and could follow them or eat them all day.
And he peed on just about everything he could reach.

By the curve of his feet you can tell he was bred with only the finest lines

We shaved him every summer, his long hair became overbearing those summer months

He was OCD about keeping his paws clean.  He was constantly cleaning them, we thought he was confused and thought he was a cat.

He tolerated my Mom's cats, when they weren't picking on him, the big bullies

Does your dog ride a wiggle car? :)

He was the best dog a girl could have growing up.  He was there when I needed someone to cuddle with when sad, lonely, or sick.  He will be missed but I'm sure he's having fun in heaven with all his buddies chasing all the bunnies he can find.

He threw up last night a couple of times, but we didn't think much of it since he throws up often.  And then this morning he was found out by his favorite spot in the yard curled up.  He looked like he was sleeping.  We buried him with one of his favorite squeaky toys and said our goodbyes.

Goodbye Wort, Worty, Wort hog, Wortamus, Badger dog