This section is devoted to our beloved dogs who are waiting at the Rainbow Bridge. If you would like to include a tribute to your B.O.N.E.S. beagle(s) that crossed to Rainbow Bridge, please send your story and/or photo(s) to tributes@bonesbeagles.org.
Read all of the tributes by paging through them below or click on a name to go to a specific article.
I have started this tribute several times, but it's been six months, and I still think about Tracker every single day. It doesn't help that he and Sam are on my phone background and the mantle above the fireplace. Sometimes it makes me laugh or cry, but it is all good. And it is so great to have photos and videos of him playing, sleeping, and interacting with the family. So I know this is long overdue, but I think if you are reading this you all know how hard it is to lose a special friend because you are a part of the B.O.N.E.S. family and always will be.
To call him special is an understatement, and despite the end game, he was an absolute joy to us right up until the end. He even gave us a few bonus months. We thought for sure he would be saying goodbye in September, but he stuck around until December 30th, maybe to help us heal from Sam's departure in October. Of course I know we all think our beagles are special, but Tracker was our seventh, and now we have an eighth, and there was just something about him. He was like a canine mullet, beagle in the back, basset in the front. Those stubby legs and big feet were so endearing.
Mr. Tracker was a part of our family for only 3.5 years, but because he fit in so immediately and completely, it felt like he was with us his entire life. From the day Monica came by the house for the meet and greet, he and Sam played together like lifelong pals. And he chased and fetched a ball — we never had a beagle do that before! He was not perfect, but then again none of us are. Although he settled right in, there were a few nights where he woke up and we thought he was going to attack Andrea, probably a flashback to the difficulties he may have encountered before B.O.N.E.S. rescued him. That quickly dissipated and I must say the next three years were some of the happiest our house has ever had. I was lucky enough to work from home for almost his entire tenure with us. He would sleep next to my workstation so much I referred to him as my "employee of the month."
You may know he came to us as a medically-supported Sensational Senior Beagle (SSB) with Cushing's disease and recurrent mast cell tumors, but thanks to the folks at B.O.N.E.S. and their partnership with the wonderful crew at Amherst Animal Hospital, both were kept under control almost to the end. It didn't hurt that Andrea was formerly a vet tech, and cared for him as a labor of love, how we all loved him.
He came to us in August of 2016 after more than three years in B.O.N.E.S. foster care, and after every visit to AAH I would send an update, and each year a special note on the "Trackerversary."
After the 2017 note, he and Sam got into a tiff over a dead possum that must have been dropped by a hawk. I heard them fighting and after separating the two saw that Tracker was dragging his hind legs. We thought he was paralyzed, but after weeks of carrying him, then supporting his legs by cradling the leash under his belly, he started to walk again, ever so gingerly. At the suggestion of Sharon V. we took him to a holistic vet in New Boston for acupuncture treatments and before long he was walking, then running, and playing with Sam again. Stairs were a problem at first, but our daughter's training in therapeutic recreation came in handy. While going up and down stairs never looked easy for him, he was a plugger and eventually made it work. The only thing he could no longer do was his patented jump onto furniture, where he would take several steps back and get a running start. The fact that he could go for walks and play again seemed like such a victory we could live with picking him up. Dr. Cianelli also recommended a food that helped him lose a little weight. It's amazing how much that helps back problems.
The next couple of years Mr. Tracker had recurrences of his MCT which AAH was able to control with injections, and his tenure lasted longer than I think anyone expected. Whatever was thrown at him, he powered through, and I think he was one of the happiest creatures I have ever been around.
One of my favorite memories would be coming home from my morning bike ride to see him barking at the fence or waiting behind the door from the garage. I just wanted him to be there forever, but that is the deal with dogs. They come into your lives, steal your heart, and before you know it, leave you filled with memories and a profound sense of loss. As Ibby likes to say, the next dog is never a replacement, but a successor; so it would be unfair to compare our new pup to Tracker, just as it would be unfair to compare Tracker to his predecessor, Gus, whom we loved so dearly. We love them all in many different ways, but this beautiful boy from B.O.N.E.S. really was a special gift. Thanks to all the folks who played a role in making Mr. Tracker a part of our lives and hearts forever.
Most Sincerely and with Deep Gratitude,
Warren, Andrea, Rebecca, and Juliana White
