Where We're Going

The year before Tyler and I got married we got the opportunity to get a puppy.  We were so excited.  Lots of new beginnings for us back then.  We grabbed that opportunity and brought home a sweet boy we named Tank.  He was our new "baby" that we could put all of our attention and energy into.

We spent a lot of time training Tank, first basic obedience classes and then a little later he and Tyler took a more intensive course.  We were so glad we took that time to do that with him because he was so good.  Of course, he was still young and had a ton of energy and sometimes got himself into trouble, but what dog doesn't?!

When we found out we were pregnant with our first son we took every precaution we could think of to make sure that transition would be smooth for Tank.  Before Easton and I came home from the hospital, Tyler took home a baby blanket that Easton had used and let Tank get used to the smell, prepping him for our new family member.  When we brought Easton home we knew right away Tank would be fine.  He was interested, he was curious and was always cautious around him.  As Easton grew and became more mobile, Tank was never bothered by him, would let him crawl around by him and even on him (no worries, we never left them alone together- you just never know!).  So when we found out we were bringing 2 more babies home, we never even worried how Tank would be around them.  Besides, he was a pro at being a big bro already!

As Christian and Charlie grew and became mobile, it seemed as though Tank had grown even more patient and calm when the boys were around him.  And it was amazing to see the bond he and Charlie had, even really early on.

Pals from the start

Tank was the type of family dog that did everything with us.  He was both and inside and outside dog.  He loved roaming in the Summer and being inside and cozy during the winter.  He loved camping, going on walks and taking the boys to the park.  No matter what we were doing, he always seemed in tune to what Charlie needed, especially in the last couple of years.  He would wander Charlie's way when he was having a meltdown, sit next to him and let him hug him or pet him to calm down.  He even got to the point where he would sleep with him at night and even lay on his legs to give him some deep pressure sensory input that Charlie so badly needs.  

Never far from each other

On this night Tank had started the evening on his bed int he living room, but knew Charlie was having a tough night and went in to comfort him without being prompted

It got to the point where Charlie started to heavily rely on Tank to help him stay regulated or to calm down when he was upset. And it was over a year ago that Tyler and I started a serious conversation about what will happen when Tank isn't around.  Tank was getting older and it was apparent that he was really slowing down- wasn't able to do a lot of the things he used to do.  It was then we decided to look into a service dog for Charlie.  

Our sweet boy Tank on his last day with us

We didn't know what that would entail or where to even start, but we knew we needed to act on it sooner rather than later.  Not sure how much time we had.  And I'm glad we started looking into it when we did.  This February Tank's health took a drastic turn very quickly.  Within a matter of a day he could no longer walk and we had to make the very hard choice to put him down- we did not want him to suffer.  We had been talking to the boys about this, know it would happen some day, so they were prepped a little bit.  However, it did not make it any easier to lose our sweet friend.  It was hard for all of us, but it continues to be extremely difficult for Charlie.  Luckily, in our search for a service dog, we recently had some really exciting news........