Flashback Friday: Brandy
Meet Brandy and Bailey. These are the dogs that I had while growing up…
This picture was likely taken in 1996… so Brandy would have been about 2 or 3 and {obviously} we just got Bailey so she might have been about 12 weeks…
Let me tell you about Brandy…
the sweetest, most well behaved dog you ever met! Ask my mom and she would tell you that sometimes she was a little trouble maker getting into the garbage and whatnot, but we never really saw that side of her because we were so young {and didn’t have to clean it up… lol}.
Brandy was half Border Collie, half Shepard. We got her from a farm in Wellesley in 1994 for free. She was the runt. People always over look the runt because they think that they are the ones that have problems later in life, but Brandy never, ever got sick.
Very energetic. I can remember playing with her and my sisters for hours! She would pull us on our rollerblades, play fetch, jump over any obstacle you put in her way {we loved watching her jump over things lol}, and was always quick to listen; sit, stay, come, etc.
Well adjusted. We moved a lot when we were little (13 times I believe) and every time we did Brandy always adjusted quickly and made our new home feel like “home.”
You don’t really realize how much your dogs mean to you until you leave them. When I moved out in 2006 I missed her dearly. She was always so happy to see me whenever I came to visit my mom… tail wagging out of control, and whimpering with excitement.
Closer to 2008 she started to get a bit of arthritis in her back legs, and was having trouble walking. She was 14 at this time {a long time to live for a dog her age}, my mom took her to the vet, probably her first visit in years. Other than the arthritis, the vet said she was the healthiest dog she has seen in a long time {for her age}.
In summer 2008 my mom moved into her new house. Shortly thereafter, while not being very familiar with the layout of the house, Brandy fell down the stairs. My mom had to put her down.
No word of a lie, the very same day this happened I was going over to my mom’s house with my camera. I knew that we might not have that much longer with Brandy, so I wanted to take some pictures of us together. When I got there my mom was just getting back, noticeably shaken. I knew. I was too late. Never did get to say goodbye, but I am almost glad that my mom took her and didn’t tell my sisters and I… to this day I don’t know how she sat there with her and did it alone.
This was Brandy in 2002…
{such a happy dog}
Are you sobbing yet?? LOL
I am almost in tears just writing this!!
Well you are probably wondering about the other dog, Bailey. Unfortunately Bailey had a short life…
Since it was mostly just us girls {me, my 2 sisters and my mom} in our household, Bailey didn’t like men too much. She was very hyper, energetic, and playful. She loved us girls, but was very protective.
When she was about 2, Bailey bit an elderly gentleman who was walking past our house. To avoid a potential lawsuit my mother agreed that we would put her down… my sister Nikki was the one who was devastated by this loss.
Hopefully in my lifetime I will have another dog as good as Brandy.
Did you have any pets growing up that you got really attached to? How long did you have them for? Any specific memories?
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