Dear list,

With the heaviest of heart I wanted to share with you al the passing of 
my Dear sweet Obie. 

Thank you all for the support & encouragement over the past year.  

Obie loved meeting people she had the best time sitting
at the rescue booth meeting greeting & smoozing.  She was a VERY special
girl.  She was only with me for far too short of a time physically but she 
will be forever in my heart . She was the gentlest of sprit, the kindest 
soul and my best friend.  I will never forget her.

Obie's Gale force triumph TT
rescued 11/5/98 Died 2/20/99

Glenda Zeke & Gus

From: Glenda Szkrybalo
Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999
Subject: Obie

Dear List,

Now that I have composed myself a little bit if you will bear with me,
I would like to share a few things about Obie and me .

First, THANK YOU so much all of you that sent emails, cards, &  phone
calls. All of them made a very difficult time easier to deal with.

Obie lived here for 15 months. In that short time we squeezed in  a
whole life time of living.

The first few months were so touch and go with Obie being so very sick,
it would seem that that was wasted time . Not true for Obie :o)  We
bonded  & grew to love each other.  I can't find words to express the
amount of fight & life that was in this  little bitch.  She looked so
sick & so frail in body, yet one look & her eyes & all you could see
was this fire.  With the fight of a prize fighter.  She was really
something to admire she never gave up.  As she grew healthier and
developed into a  very pretty young Bouv -- jet black a pretty beard,
strong bodied & a mind with a devilish streak, touched with a sense of
humor, loving, gentle, sweet a very kind soul and the most wonderful
temperament I've ever seen.

Obie was always with me; where ever I went Obie went. She rode up front
in the van right between the seats with her head on my lap. She slept on
my bed and sat next to me while I worked on the computer.  She went to
work with me every day.  I adored this dog  & I was the center of her
universe.

In that short 15 months Obie got to travel, ( her second favorite thing
in the whole world).  We went to Pennsylvania, to the upper peninsula of
Michigan,  we went camping & hiking she swam in lake Superior ( only
after dragging me in the icy waters at 6 am while on our morning walk!
(LOL)  Numerous rescue runs to Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana,
Kentucky, Canada, and all points in between.  She went to TONS of dog
shows serving as the befrienders ambassador which was a job she LOVED.
There was nothing Obie liked better than meeting people.  Everyone she
met she won over with her kind gentle ways.

Obie learned to pull a light weight cart & pulled it proudly in a parade 
leading 15 other rescued Bouviers right down Grand River Ave.

Obie  also earned her Temperament Test Title.  I was so proud of her.

And last but most certainly not least rescuing my daughter from the
dog attack.  Every day that I have for the rest of my life when I look
at my sweet youngest daughters face, I will be full of gratitude that
Obie came into my life.

Obie never expressed that she was in any pain or distress, up until her
last day.  Once again I knew she was counting on me to help her do what
she was unable to do for herself.  Only this time all I could do was
hold her till she was at rest.  Our bond and love couldn't fix this
obstacle.  Veterinary medicine could only offer her peace from her
suffering. This wonderful, loving, noble Bouvier.  I do find it ironic
that it was Obie's heart, spirit & drive to survive that so endeared me
to her in the first place & in the end it was her heart that caused her
to  die so prematurely.

I've had so many people tell me how wonderful I was to take care of
Obie the way I did for so long.  But I really think that anyone that got
to know her would of done the same for her. Obie gave back a million
fold of what she received.  She taught me that I can do things I never
thought I could do.  I was always a bit squeamish about certain things
& I had to over come my phobia to care for Obie.  Yet another gift from
her I will be grateful for for the rest of my life.

Obie was a very happy dog , a true delight to have around; every day
she made us laugh with her silly antics.  She would steal my comforter
and my pillows & just be  grinning away, always wanting to have a little
wrestling match over them before agreeing  to share when what she
really wanted in the first place was for me to come lay down with her.

Everyone that met her fell in love with her she just had that way about
her.

I miss her happy, happy Bouv dance complete with her 4 foot high all 4
feet off the ground bouncing when she heard the blender.  Making even a
sad chore like tube feeding an adult Bouv something to in a way look
forward too.  She knew that's how she got dinner & expressed it by
showing how happy & joyful she was.

She was so SMART !  I talked to her just like I talk with a person & I
know she understood every word I said to her.  I will miss her forever.
I'm feel so lucky & truly blessed that I got to meet this wonderful
girl & that I had the honor of sharing my home with her; she was truly a
once in a life time dog.

In those 15 short months Obie loved & was loved as much as anyone could
in a life time.

Thank you all for allowing me to share her with you

Glenda Zeke & Gus

*  *  *  *  *

Here is a picture of  me Obie & Gus taken at the Michigan Specialty 

in November of  last year Obie is the pretty Bouv on the left (check out
her Happy Grin !) and those are her rescue pictures in the Back ground.