In Memory of Teddy
Teddy
"The Boy"
"The Best Big Brother Ever"
of nicknames over his life.
Dog Monster was his first name. A nickname he acquired within days of coming home and
held for over 7 years. We probably should have known we were in trouble when in
his first days with us at less than 3 months old, he climbed out of the play pen we
bought for him. We were so happy we bought it at a garage sale rather than new. My
recollection is that he "killed" the play pen in under a week. It was however,
perhaps the least expensive thing our Dog Monster killed. The leather bound coffee
table and a seemingly endless quantity of wicker furniture were to follow. In the
scheme of things, the remotes, phones, shoes, and countless other things, aren't even
worth mentioning. Like most parents of Dog Monsters, early on we decided it was not
useful to know the cost of all the destruction. Oh, and please know that we weren't
just permissive parents (well maybe a little), our Dog Monster liked every "product"
made to keep dogs away from things - they were just icing on a cake to him.
Jackie and I thought we would be thrown out of the movie "Marley and Me". Teddy
was our Marley. There were some scenes in the movie that brought back so many
vivid memories, I laughed so hard (and loud) I thought we might be thrown out. My
ribs were sore from Jackie elbowing me. Probably the only thing in the movie that
disappointed was the scene where Owen Wilson's character had to put Marley to
sleep. Anyone who has had to put a loved pet to sleep knows without any doubt Owen
Wilson never has.
After about 7 years, Teddy earned two more nicknames - The Boy & The Best Big
Brother Ever. We got Freckles, our first little girl. The amount of harassment Teddy
took from Freckles was what earned him this nickname. The Dog Monster was mostly
gone and the Best Big Brother Ever tolerated Freckles. One of Freckles favorite
things was to play tug-of-war with Teddy - using Teddy's ears. It was just the best
game ever. A couple of years later, we got our second girl, Nikki. Once again, Teddy
again was the Best Big Brother Ever and acquired another nickname. Being a boy
with 2 little sisters he was also known as the Big Dog. A few years after Nikki, we
got a baby Gracie - and once again, the Best Big Brother Ever earned his stripes.
Our best evening entertainment for many years were Daddy's Angles and the Best
Big Brother Ever giving us a show. We called it our Doggy Drama. They waited until
both of were home, dinner was over and it was TV time. Thank goodness for TIVO.
Doggy Drama could/would start at almost any time and the Best Big Brother Ever
was almost always involved. We'd simply put our TIVO'd show on pause and enjoy
our the Doggy Drama.
In more recent years, Teddy's acquired additional nicknames. He became the Old
Dog and Cone Head (during a long period of having to wear and E-Collar). During his
last weeks, he slept all the time, couldn't go for walks with the rest of the
Scott-pack, but when family time came around, Teddy would use the steps in front
of the couch to climb up and lay by my hip. While some of our kids (and our foster
kids) wanted to compete with him for the position, they seemed to understand it was
his place.
Teddy was a great dog - of his many nicknames, the one we'll remember the most is
the Best Big Brother Ever. We will miss him deeply for a very long time and
remember him always.
We truly hope there is a Rainbow Bridge where Teddy's spirit will live forever.