We always had dogs as we were growing up. But we were a farm dog family; dogs were meant to be outside. They were loved and comfortable and were definitely a part of the family – but they stayed outside.

That was before Babe.

About 12 years ago, my brother David brought home Babe, a pure-bred Jack Russell Terrier. And boy did he win our hearts.

“He can’t stay in the house”, said Mom.

A couple days later, she said, “Okay, he can only go on the non-carpeted areas.”

Then, after a few weeks, “Alright, he can go on the furniture, but only in designated areas with a mat or towel for him to lie on.”

And so, he wriggled his way from outside to inside, to carpet, to furniture, and eventually to beds.

We were all disgusted when Joan said he slept in the bed with her.

“Try it”,  she said.

And if you’ve ever slept with a little dog curled up behind your knees or against your stomach you know that it’s too much. Too cute. Too sweet.

And when the dog is Babe, when he wriggles under those blankets to find a position, then rests his little snout on your leg or tummy and heaves a huge sigh before falling asleep… you weaken. You become enamoured and can never claim the bed solely as your own again.

I was living overseas when Babe joined the family. But on my visits home, he stole my heart too…

He’s been such a part of family life.

And how could he not be? How could you not want something this cute around?

He loved to be part of the action. He didn’t mind hanging out indoors as we ate or played games, but if somebody was outside, Babe was there, and totally in his element. He spent endless hours outside with Dad, chasing the tractor, hunting for mice, and begging somebody (anybody!) to throw his ball so he could go get it.

Babe got himself into quite a few scrapes over the years. Joan says, “I remember when he chewed on a power cord in my bedroom one time and got electrocuted.  He passed,  I picked him up and ran downstairs with him and while I was calling the vet he suddenly woke up and ran around in circles and got all crazy like when he’s just had a bath.  He got some burns on his gums but that’s about it.

Then there was the time when he got hit by a truck on the road and I ran and picked him up and he was all stiff.  David drove us to the vet then (not within the speed limit) and we thought he was a goner then.  He was on an IV and I can’t remember what they all did to him.  He could only walk in circles tighter and tighter until he would fall down.  But then we realized he couldn’t see out of his one eye and that’s probably why he walked in circles.  It seems he wasn’t too worse for the wear after that incident too.

I remember when I threw the ball for Babe before we had a fence around the pool but instead of going around the pool he ran across it while the bubble cover was on.  He got a little bogged down three quarters of the way so I had to scoop him out with the net.”

Babe has provided endless companionship and fun for Dad and my step-mom Carol. It’s hard to imagine visiting them without his playful barks and loving licks!

“Should the dog get food from the table?” Our family ranges in opinion on this, from one extreme (David) to the other extreme, (Dad):

And Babe was well known for his singing. When he was really happy, he loved to let out a long howl.

If you howled along, he’d go on and on…

Mehmet met Babe for the first time just a few months ago… but he knew all about him because I talk about him all the time.

And of course, the dog won his heart too.

We spent all of January at Dad and Carol’s and had some great times with Babe!

Last weekend we were home and six of us went for a hike with Babe. At one point he misjudged a jump over a mud puddle and ended up like this:

Unfortunately, this is the last picture we have of him, and we won’t see him again.

This past week, Babe suddenly got very sick. I don’t need to write all the details, but it involves something like a stroke, the vet discovering he had almost no platelets (that cause blood to clot), which led to rapid deterioration, and ineffective steroid treatment. Dad and Carol made the difficult decision to euthanize him, and now he is buried in the back yard where he played every day.

Sad stuff!

A great dog who led an extraordinary life. We’ll miss you, Babe!

I can’t imagine family life without you.