In Memory Of Tina (Yellow Labrador Retriever)

Tina is 14 years old and a Yellow Labrador Retriever. We drove 20 miles in a snowstorm one night to look at a litter of yellow lab puppies. One of them came right up to us, wagging her tail and falling over herself trying to climb out of the puppy pen. It was love at first sight and we gave our deposit to hold her until she was weaned. We loved Tina's face and nature from the minute we saw her.

I took this photo of her one day while she was enjoying the sunshine on our front lawn. I loved how she was surrounded with the misty atmosphere and the dark green foliage behind her.

Tina passed away a few years ago, but when she was alive, her favorite thing was stealing hats, shoes or just about anything she could get in her mouth. One time, she brought home a neighbor's winter hat on one side of us, and another neighbor's shoe on the other side. She was a huge loveable brat.

One Thanksgiving evening, she stole and ate a whole cooked turkey. We only found one bone that she left behind. My father-in-law had made the mistake of putting the turkey out on his deck on a table to keep cool (covered in a roasting pan). I called the vet and he told me to give her 2 tablespoons of Vaseline to help the turkey bones go through her system. Boy oh boy, did they go through! She was fine by the end of the next day and lived a healthy long life until she was 14 years old.

We still love to tell that story about Tina and the turkey when we talk about our dogs and various pets that we have loved and lost.

By ann from Goulais River, Ontario