A Tribute to Our Pets

Little did I know when I started this blog about the pets in our lives, that we would lose another so soon. Hayley was almost 12 years old and left us on May 5, 2020. Her story is at the bottom of the page....

When Jim and I got together in 1977 we had two animals ~ Gandalf, his German Shepherd (1970-1982) and my cat, Blossom (1970-1978). We lived on a 1929 42' Elco Yacht in Charleston, South Carolina, and of course they lived on it with us. It was amazing that Blossom took to the boat so well. She never fell in, and I guess she went onto land to hunt. As it was such a long time ago, I really cannot recall what she did. I know Gandalf went with Jim everywhere. I think he even took her to work the him, but she may have stayed home with me.  

Gandalf

Blossom

After we moved off of the Yacht and bought our sailboat, Spurwing, we moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. We lived at the City Docks for a while before moving to Tropical Marine Testers (TMT) in North Palm Beach, Florida.  Blossom would hunt a lot and liked to catch lizards. Unfortunately, the skinks (black shiny lizards) were poisonous to cats and one evening she caught one and ate it. One day in July of 1978 she came home looking very sick and we immediately called the vet who said to come it, but by the time we got there she had passed away. We buried her on the TMT property.

Gandalf had a great life on the boat and playing in the water; she had her spot under the V-berth. In January 1980 Josh was born and she was very protective of him. It was around November of 1982 when Gandalf got cancer in her jaw and it was very painful for her to eat. Jim was devastated and knew the end was near. He did not want to take her to a vet as he knew how much she did not like going and did not want to stress her out any more than necessary. So, with the help of Denis Culp, he took matters into his own hands and put a bullet through her head. He knew she hated going to the vets and did not want to put her through that stress, and wanted her to be at home where she was comfortable.

Gandalf's last day

I could not be there and stayed in the boat; that was something I did not want to experience. I am glad Denis was there to help Jim because he did need moral support. Denis ended up taking Gandalf and buried her in his front yard. I don't know why we did not bury her on the TMT property, like we did Blossom. Maybe because we could not get the hole deep enough since we would have ended up in water.

We eventually acquired another cat, a tabby we named Sinbad (1980-1992). I don't remember where he came from or how we got him. He lived with us at TMT for eight years and even made it to Georgia. Sinbad lived a long life, hunting rats in Florida and continuing in Stone Mountain, keeping those nasty critters at bay until he passed. We never had a rat problem until Sinbad died, and then we discovered what a good ratter he was. After that, Jim had to come up with other ways to get rid of the rats that invaded the house.

Sinbad (on the boat)

During the summer of 1983 we sold Spurwing and bought a small travel trailer which we put on the TMT property. We lived in the trailer until December of 1986 when we moved to Atlanta, Georgia. It was not a big trailer, but it fit the three of us pretty good.

Our Trailer

After Gandalf passed in 1982, we were given a black & tan coon hound who we named Scarlett (1982-1985). She was very sick when we got her and we had to feed her protein in a tube until she got strong and we nursed her back to health. We also got Krystal in December 1984 -- Sue Culp saw her wandering around downtown West Palm Beach and brought her up to here to us. Scarlett & Krystal were buddies and would go out hunting during the night. I don't know why we let them out during the night instead of keeping them inside with us. 

One night Scarlett and Krystal (1984-1998) went out hunting at night and Krystal came back home but Scarlett did not. We think a gator got her as we think there were gators in the waters around the boat. I never saw any gators, but something got her. 

Josh & Scarlett, November 1984

Jim with Krystal & Scarlett, 1985

Krystal

Krystal, Stone Mountain, GA 1987

Sinbad in bushes, Stone Mountain, Georgia

It's amazing the number of dogs we had over the years, and most of them I do not remember how or when we got them. Like Krystal, I think she was given to us. We had her for a long time; she lived with us in Florida and then in Georgia. Most times we had more than one dog at a time, but only one cat at a time. 

So after Sinbad passed in July 1992, a friend from up the street had a Siamese that she did not want anymore and asked us to take the cat. That is how T-Rex (1993-1998) came to live with us. He was a great cat, and we really enjoyed him. He was killed by the kids who lived on the next street over, who used our street to get to their house. They would race down our street, and I guess T-Rex got in their way. I was really mad about them driving down our street so fast that I bought a poster board, taped it to an orange cone stating "You killed my cat; what's next? A kid?" They did not like that and ran the sign over too. 

Jacklyn and T-Rex, circa 1994

T-Rex

I remember a story about T-Rex shortly after we got him. Jim was working late and it started storming outside, lightening and thundering. He was outside and I went out to call him in. I heard a very faint meow and so I kept calling him and kept hearing the faint meow, so I followed the sound into the back yard, through the woods and to the next street. I found him there way up in a tall tree. He would not come down, so I went back home, put a ladder in the Brown Beast (our van), got Josh and drove over to where T-Rex was. 

I put the ladder up next to the tree putting it out as far as it would go and climbed up the tree to get him. It was now raining, thundering and lightening pretty good now and here I am up an aluminum ladder trying to get my cat. Josh was holding the ladder on the ground, and I reached my hand up to grab him. I could only get him by a leg as he would not come down close enough for me to grab him, and when I did get hold of his leg, he latched onto me and blood was streaming down my arm as I grabbed him and climbed down the ladder. When I got down I handed T-Rex to Josh, put the ladder back in the truck and drove back to the house. I'm glad we did not get struck by lightening!

Around 1987 we got a Rottweiler who we named Smokie (1987-1989). Friends of ours had a Rottweiler that just had puppies, so we took a female. She was a mess ~ chewed up everything. She chewed the fender on Jim's truck and also chewed the wiring harness underneath the truck. That's the most memorable thing I remember her doing. 

Krystal and Smokie

Smokie

Smokie disappeared one day in 1989. She used to like to run across the street and we think she must have been stolen. Don't know what else; just that someone just took her. We looked all over the woods and streets for her but she never reappeared.

At the same time we had T-Rex we also got a Husky named Bo. I do remember how we got Bo (1992-1998). Our vet told Jim ~ and Jim told me ~ about a dog whose owners dropped him off there to get his shots and a checkup, and then never went back to get him. I stopped by the vets on my way home from work one evening and of course, could not resist and brought Bo home with me. 

Bo and T-Rex playing

Bo was a very good dog; very good natured and never got mad at anything. He was very protective of our house. We kept him on a chain hooked to a line that went from one tree to another in the back yard while we were at work. I guess our house alarm had gone off one day and the police showed up. I was told that the lady cop was going around the house to check on it; saw Bo at one end of the house tied up and went around to the other side, and there was Bo who went after her and bit her on the butt. They wanted to take him and quarantine him but we talked them out of it and quarantined him at the house instead.

Bo watching over Josh, 1992

So now we had just Krystal and Bo for a few years. Around 1996 Jim found another dog wandering I think where he worked, and brought her home; she was still a pup and we kept her for a short time before finding her another home. We named her Amber (1996-1997).

Amber & Jacklyn

We had Krystal, Bo and Amber at the same time, which by my time frame is the end of 1996 into 1997.  After Amber left us, we got Gypsy (1997-2009), another shepherd, in 1997 from Pet Smart around the same time Josh got his Mazda. Funny story about Gypsy and Krystal. They used to get out of the yard and one evening Gypsy came home but Krystal did not. We got a call from the local Vet Emergency Center saying that someone had seen them on Rockbridge Road and saw Krystal get hit by a car; picked her up and took her to the emergency center.

Bo & Gypsy, 1997

Gypsy & Krystal

Well, they kept her a few days but it turned out that her rear legs were paralyzed. We took her to our local vet but all he wanted to do was surgery. At the same time, there was a holistic vet whose daughter was on Jacklyn's soccer team. So we ended up taking Krystal there for acupuncture and chiropractic. Jim even made a sling to put her to take her out to the bathroom. It took a couple of weeks; and one evening when we brought some food from Outback Steak home for dinner, we put the bones on the ground and Krystal stood up and started eating the bones. And since then, she started walking again. 

Bo died in June 1998, and then later that year Krystal died. During the summer of 1998, our friend Julie Mars decided that Jacklyn needed a little dog all of her own. We had gone on vacation with the Mars Family during that summer, and then Jacklyn went to Florida to stay with them before Jim & I came down for another vacation. While Jacklyn was down there visiting, she and Julie went to the local dog pound to look for a dog. Poor little Pursie (1998-2009) was given back to the pound claiming she was a difficult dog, so this was the dog Jacklyn got. So not only was Pursie insecure to begin with, but when Jim & I came down, Julie gave Pursie to a neighbor to take care of for a week while we went to the Bahamas for the week. That did not do her any good; she would not eat and the neighbor was so worried about her he took her to a vet to be checked out. All in all, she was OK, and I think happy to be back with us.

Jacklyn & Pursie, 1998

Jacklyn with Krystal, Pursie & Gypsy, 1998

Pursie & Gypsy, 1998

Pursie had a very severe case of separation anxiety and wanted to be with someone all the time. She chewed up the door frame on the outside trying to get in, and chewed the door frame on the inside trying to get out. She even chewed up the rubber grommet around the driver door of our Excursion. However, she turned out to be more my dog than Jacklyn's, as I was the one who took care of our dogs. Pursie lived with us for about 12 years and had a good life. She was a bit crazy, but we put up with her. I know how she died, and it still makes me sad to think about, but suffice it to say, she got run over on Rockbridge Road.

Pursie, 2009

Now along comes another cat, brought to us by our neighbor John. She was a gold tabby who we named Ginger (2002-2009). She was a very sweet cat and liked to cuddle. She got sick in her old age and started peeing in the house, so I banned her to the outside. That was very hard for me as I do not believe in leaving animals outside, especially when it's raining and cold. Ginger was the last cat we had.

Jacklyn & Ginger

We acquired Hayley (2008-2020) during the summer of 2008 from Petsmart Adoption Services. She had a sister with her and we were trying to decide between the two, and decided on Hayley because she appeared to be more aggressive than her sister. Jim always talked about wishing we would have taken both of them.

Hayley, 2010

We had both Hayley and Pursie together for a year, and then after Pursie died, we only had Hayley. Around the same time we had Hayley, Jacklyn found a Catahoola Hound she named Gator. He lived with her while she was in college at ABAC, and one night her roommate left the door open, Gator got out, and never returned. Jacklyn looked all over for Gator, and even thinks he was spotted around the area, but never came home.

Jacklyn & Gator

Hayley was not always alone though as Jacklyn's pets, Buckwheat (her dog) and Jemima (her cat) were over a lot. We even watched Jemima for about a year while she was in college and could not have a cat. Jemima is a very neat cat ~ an American Bobtail and all black. She had a good time hunting and playing in our back yard in Stone Mountain. Hayley and Jemima would even play together in the back yard all the time.

Jemima

Jemima

We also called our Stone Mountain house Kamp Kerch, as we babysat our "Grand Dogs" a lot. Jacklyn's dog Buckwheat (2008-2022) was a pure bred Black Lab. She was quite a dog, very lovely and smart. Jacklyn gave Buckwheat to a friend of hers who has a huge farm where she could run and run. I know it was hard for Jacklyn to give up Buckwheat, but she did it for Buckwheat. I think Jacklyn got Buckwheat and Jemima around 2008 while she was attending ABAC college in Tifton, Georgia. 

Jacklyn & Buckwheat

Buckwheat

Jacklyn just got this text from the friend who had Buckwheat at her farm. Buckwheat lived a long and good life. She was 12 years old (just like Hayley) when she passed. 

Jemima lived to be about 16 years old. She did have some health issues, but still loved to go outside and hunt. Jacklyn did try and keep her inside during the night, but New Year's Eve 2024, she got out and never came home. It's hard because there is no closure, thinking about Jemima outside all by herself and dying alone. 

Josh & Karen also had a couple of dogs whom we babysat a lot - Kayla and Maverick. They got Kayla around the same time we got Hayley, in 2008. They had Maverick (2008-2018) before Kayla, and one time we were watching Maverick, he disappeared on me. It was when he was still a pup and would sit outside watching birds. I was warned not to let him out of my site, but I had to go in the house for something and when I came out - he was gone. 

Maverick

Well, anyway, I called and called him and looked all over the yard. I walked up and down the street; got in the car and started driving to the other neighborhoods looking for Maverick. The last subdivision that I tried I actually found him wandering along the street. Thank goodness I found him! It would not have been good telling Josh & Karen that I lost their dog.  Maverick passed away around 2018; he got cancerous tumors all over his body. 

Kayla, 2011

Buckwheat & Kayla

After Pursie died, and we had Hayley for three years, I was at PetSmart getting Hayley some dog food and there was a lady there with a bunch of dogs for adoption. I saw this tiny puppy with the cutest black lab face; took a picture of her and sent it to Jim asking about getting another dog. Well, it did not take long before she was a part of our family. We named her Lucy (2011-).

Gayle with Lucy, 2011

She was so tiny, she fit in Jim's hand; so the first night we had her he stayed up with her sleeping with her on the couch. After that she would fit in the head board book shelf above our bed, and when she got too big for that, she started sleeping with us. Hayley would also sleep in our room, but her bed was under my desk, in her little cubby.

Hayley in her cubby under my desk

Look at how tiny Lucy is compared to Jemima ~~

Jemima and Lucy, 2011

Hayley & Lucy, 2011

Lucy & Buckwheat

Jacklyn and Joe had another dog besides Buckwheat, a little Pom-Chi named Pickles. She was a tiny little thing when they got her, but she's grown up good now. And since Jacklyn let Buckwheat go, she rescued a dog who has grown up into a beautiful Pit Bull, who she has named Murray.

Pickles & Buckwheat

Hayley & Pickles

Jacklyn found Murry along the side of the road in Stone Mountain in September of 2014.

Baby Murray

Murray

It was a couple of years after Maverick died, that they felt it was time for another dog, and Lola ended up in their family. She is a Black Lab and is growing up to be a big dog, very rambunctious and playful. Her and Kayla (2008-2021) play a lot together, but Kayla is getting up there in years too. Josh & Karen got her about the same time we got Hayley, so Kayla is about 11 years old now. 

Jim with Lola

Kayla, Lola & Lucy, June 2020

When we were visiting with Josh & Karen at first we kept Lola and Hayley apart as Hayley is not very tolerant of other dogs and we did not want any fights. As they sniffed each other over the fence, we eventually decided it was time for them to go outside together and try to be friends. Hayley seemed to realize that Lola was part of the family and it took a few skirmishes but blood and they were semi-friends. Lucy on the other hand, still does not like Lola. She's a bit big for Lucy (being 35 lbs.) and Lucy just does not want her around. Lola just wants to play with Lucy, but Lucy will not cooperate. Maybe some day.

So now we come to Hayley's story. We were at a campground near Whitney, Texas for our week out from April 28 - May 5, 2020. Hayley was fine when we got there, but then started acting funny after a few days; panting heavily and drooling a lot. It was blasted hot, too, close to 90. She was still eating and going to the bathroom, but not walking good and seemed to lose control over her back legs. Tuesday night Jim sat up with her late; she seemed to want to be outside standing with the wind in her face. Finally he got her back inside and she slept on the couch. In the morning I took both of the dogs for their morning walk, but cut it short as it started raining and Hayley could not walk good. Took her back to the trailer and went out with Lucy. 

By the time I returned, Hayley was half sitting on the couch panting heavily and drooling. She seemed to want to go outside, so I took her out and she immediately collapsed on the ground, tried to get up and collapsed again. I yelled for Jim who came out and we got her on her bed. Just at that moment, she legs got stiff and she started making noises, and I thought she was going to die right then and there. But she then relaxed and seemed to be asleep. Got her into the truck, called the vet in Glen Rose and we took her up there to see if they could find out what was wrong. It appeared to us to be poisoning, but that is not what it turned out to be. They said she was having seizures, and I guess that was what I experienced that morning. 

We left her at the vets and drove back to Whitney to pack up the trailer and drive to Tres Rios and unpack. We then went to pick up Hayley late that afternoon. Both times we left Lucy at the trailer and of course, she did not know what was going on. We were at the vets for a couple of hours waiting, talking with the vet and trying to figure out the best plan of action. She was monitored throughout the day, and her temperature was very low (95 degrees) when normal is 101-103. Plus her blood pressure was all over the place. They gave her a valium to calm her down and stop the seizures, but then she had a bad one that left her comatose. We were there with her and I think she knew that. 

I recall when my Dad was in hospice and had been there for a week while Jim and I drove from Texas to Ohio to see him. He was in a comatose state but the nurses said he could still hear us. His eyes were open, unblinking and he was barely breathing, but they said he was still aware of us. There were a few people in the room that night: both of my brothers, Mike's wife Diane and their daughter Kimberly, and my Dad's girlfriend Pat, and Jim and I. We sat and talked to my Dad all evening until it was time for us to leave. The nurses said that after we left, my Dad passed peacefully. I recollect that maybe Hayley was the same way; she was comatose but hopefully still aware that Jim & I were there with her, petting her and talking to her.

We thought about bringing Lucy to the vet so she could smell Hayley, but they said she really would not understand what was going on. Lucy still does not understand, and does look around for Hayley.

Hayley laying on top of her Squirrelies

Lucy & Hayley

We spent a lot of time at an RV park in Glen Rose, Texas called Tres Rios RV Resort. Next door to the park is a house with a huge yard and a mule who wanders the yard. I named him "Mr. Mule" and he would sometimes come down to the lower level of their yard next to the Brazos River. I got a video of Mr. Mule and Haley playing with each other one morning.

Jim mentioned that Lucy needs a playmate, but I'm not so sure. She is going on 9 years old and had Hayley in her life since she was 5 weeks old, and I don't know that she would want another dog right now. She meets the other dogs in the park and I am starting to socialize her more with them. I think she will be content with just Jim & me. 

We had a footprint made from Hayley's foot and the first one they did had her name spelled wrong, so they had to redo it. We were finally able to pick up the new footprint, along with a poem entitled Rainbow Bridge. 

Jim and I are starting our ninth year of full timing this May (started May 15, 2012), and I just want it to be peaceful now and not try to acclimate another dog to our lifestyle. We will just take Lucy everywhere with us, and try not to leave her alone in the trailer. She does not like being alone and now that she has no companion to keep her company, she needs to be with us.

Lucy, May 2020

Lucy, May 2020

Took a picture of Lucy today ~ she seems to have a sadness in her eyes. She always sticks her one ear out when she looks at you and when dogs do that thing with their ears ~ one of hers sticks out. Her muzzle is getting gray; well, I guess it should. She'll be 10 in July. 

In September 2021, we lost another of the Kerch pets. Kayla was the same age as Hayley, yet lasted longer. She belonged to our son's family and even came to Kamp Kerch where we babysat our "grand-dogs" when Josh and Karen were on vacation.

Kayla

November 2023. Josh and Karen got another dog to keep Lola company. Autumn looks to be part shepherd but she's not big so she has something in there keeping her petite. Unfortunately, Lucy hates both of them -- Lola and Autumn.

Autumn

In February 2024 I was talking to Jacklyn and asking her about Murray, Pickles and Jemima. She mentioned that there were a lot of fireworks on New Year's Eve and Jemima got out of the house. Jemima was around 15 years old but still getting along good although she was diabetic and taking medication for it. Well, Jemima never came back after she got out on New Year's Eve. Jacklyn was having a hard time talking about it because there was no closure about what happened to her and wondering about her dying alone somewhere. It's very sad to think about your pets being alone and dying.

May 7, 2024. Lucy has been alone with us since we lost Hayley four years ago. She's my "precious" now and I sincerely hope she stays with us for a few more years. She's going to be 13 this July, and I wanted to post a picture of her as she's gets older and grayer. She likes to sit underneath Jim's legs and stare at me, willing me to read her mind. 

November 14, 2025. Lucy is still with us and doing great at 14 years old. She still has that same expression though -- she will just sit and stare at me willing me to "read her eyes" as to what she wants. Usually it's right after dinner when she wants to go for her evening golf cart ride around Whitney Resorts to visit people. I got this picture of her in July when she turned 14. She's getting more white around the eyes and mouth. But she's still spry and loves to run around. We get our 2 mile walk in every morning on the defunct golf course at Whitney Resorts.

Lucy, July 2025

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Got a beautiful card from one of our RVing neighbors when Hayley died. We don't know them very well, but talk to them when we see them here. She said it beautifully, "So sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved pet! They become such a big part of our daily lives and leave paw prints on our Hearts. Pray God will give Peace and fill your empty place with the joyful memories."