TN Cattle Man
Well-known member
Miss Ellie Mae came into this world on December 12th, 1998. She was a gorgeous little female Southern Yellow Lab and I knew the moment I spotted her in the litter that this was the dog for me. From the moment I brought Ellie home, we were inseparable... She would ride in the tractor with me all day and never want to leave my side. Watching a dog grow up is one of life's greater joys... especially one that is so smart and always wanting to please.
Miss Ellie Mae was one of the best labs that I have ever hunted with as well. It didn't matter if you were chasing quail through some of the thick briers of Georgia, or hunting pheasants in the wide open corn fields of Kansas... that dog would hunt!
It was tough for me when Ellie got to the point that she could no longer hunt due to her age and physical limitations... About 3 years ago a good friend of mine brought some quail out the the farm so we could work his dogs. I thought it would be great to have Miss Ellie come out and join us because even though her physical condition limited her, in her mind she always thought she could still hunt. For a brief period of time, I got to experience Ellie having the time of her life, and trust me, she still had it in her! Albeit, she was wore out after 30 minutes, it made my heart glad to see her filled with so much joy.
The last year has not been kind to Ellie... her hips were going, she was completely deaf, yet she never failed to meet me in the driveway with that look of pure joy as she was so excited to see me again. I knew deep down that Ellie hated to be left behind at the house when we went out to work on the farm, but she got to the point where she couldn't even get in the truck or Gator any more without being lifted. I would still take her with me if I was just out cruising around the farm, and she loved nothing more then just being with me.
Today was a tough day for me... I knew the day was coming, but I just didn't want to think about it. Ellie had quit eating and her breathing was getting pretty labored the last couple of days. This morning, she wouldn't even get up and I noticed that she was drooling pretty excessively. I immediately took her to our farm vet and he gave me the bad news... Ellie's heart was failing and he didn't expect her to live another day or so. I didn't want to see her suffer and I made the decision to euthanize her right there. I held on to her and told her how much I loved her while she gently slipped away.
All of the memories came flooding back to me this afternoon when I was baling hay and I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to stop the tractor and just sit there and weep.
Miss Ellie was truly a family dog, and my wife and kids are taking the news pretty hard as well.
Farewell my Good and Faithful Friend... Farewell!
Miss Ellie Mae
12/12/98 - 5/11/15
(I wish I was on my office computer where I have several pictures of Ellie, but I don't have any to post on my home laptop)
Miss Ellie Mae was one of the best labs that I have ever hunted with as well. It didn't matter if you were chasing quail through some of the thick briers of Georgia, or hunting pheasants in the wide open corn fields of Kansas... that dog would hunt!
It was tough for me when Ellie got to the point that she could no longer hunt due to her age and physical limitations... About 3 years ago a good friend of mine brought some quail out the the farm so we could work his dogs. I thought it would be great to have Miss Ellie come out and join us because even though her physical condition limited her, in her mind she always thought she could still hunt. For a brief period of time, I got to experience Ellie having the time of her life, and trust me, she still had it in her! Albeit, she was wore out after 30 minutes, it made my heart glad to see her filled with so much joy.
The last year has not been kind to Ellie... her hips were going, she was completely deaf, yet she never failed to meet me in the driveway with that look of pure joy as she was so excited to see me again. I knew deep down that Ellie hated to be left behind at the house when we went out to work on the farm, but she got to the point where she couldn't even get in the truck or Gator any more without being lifted. I would still take her with me if I was just out cruising around the farm, and she loved nothing more then just being with me.
Today was a tough day for me... I knew the day was coming, but I just didn't want to think about it. Ellie had quit eating and her breathing was getting pretty labored the last couple of days. This morning, she wouldn't even get up and I noticed that she was drooling pretty excessively. I immediately took her to our farm vet and he gave me the bad news... Ellie's heart was failing and he didn't expect her to live another day or so. I didn't want to see her suffer and I made the decision to euthanize her right there. I held on to her and told her how much I loved her while she gently slipped away.
All of the memories came flooding back to me this afternoon when I was baling hay and I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to stop the tractor and just sit there and weep.
Miss Ellie was truly a family dog, and my wife and kids are taking the news pretty hard as well.
Farewell my Good and Faithful Friend... Farewell!
Miss Ellie Mae
12/12/98 - 5/11/15
(I wish I was on my office computer where I have several pictures of Ellie, but I don't have any to post on my home laptop)
