Lucky has been promoted to Favorite Dog in the Hughes-Schwerdt family. Mr. Big (a.k.a.
Biggie, Big, or Little Big) has gone on to Doggie Heaven. His mom, dad , and brother are away on vacation on Providenciales. They are very happy that they left Mr .Big and Lucky in the care of the dogs grandmother (Honey) and step -grandfather (Jan) . Several days into the vacation, Mr. Big became very listl ess, weak, and unable to walk or eat. Honey tried to nurse him into better heal th, showing him videos of his mom and Jack and trying to hand feed him. When she could see that he was sick and not just missing his mom, she took him to the Ve terinarian. X Rays showed a large tumor in his abdomen and fluid in his lungs. Honey called Biggies mom and dad from the vets office. Biggie was in pain and there was no ho pe for recovery, so we decided to let him go. Obituary for our Little Big dog: Biggie joined our family before we had Jack. He had a big Poodle sister, Ventur e, whom he loved very much. Several years later Lucky (his Jack Russell sister) joined the family. Next was our human son, Jack. Biggie wasnt particularly hap py with these additions, but he dealt with it. Lucky dominated Biggie and Jack took away much of the attention his parents had lavished on him. Big bit Jack i n the face a few times when Jack was still a tail-pulling toddler. It was a dif ficult decision, but by that time wed become quite fond of Jack, and decided that they could both stay ;-). Later they became friends. Mr. Big loved being on the water. In his juvenile years, he enjoyed going offs hore with his dad. He was always excited about the fish dad would catch. He co uldnt resist letting out a few howls of delight at the process. He had great sea legs and only became seasick one time. Big could always sense when his mom was packing for a kayak trip. Hed get very excited and wanted to ensure that hed be a part of the trip. Hed station himself in the car and wait. He was a highly e xperienced river guide, taking his spot at the bow of his moms kayak, and alerting her to any wildlife in the area. Although he was easy to bark, he soon learned to gently bark under his breath when sighting alligators. When he tired of all the action, hed take a nap down below in the cargo hold. Mr. Big was skilled at extracting goods and services from humans. He was a consu mmate beggar, able to extract tasty morsels from anyone with food. His eyes, wh ile usually half closed, would become giant almond-shaped beauties. First, he w ould politely nudge his victim, following this up with an extremely gentle place ment of his little right paw on the persons knee. If this didnt work, hed move on the most gentle whimper imaginable, but never a bark. The pitiful noise was al most sure to get results. If not, he would cup the persons knee with both paws, showing shear desperation. He worked his charms on poodle lovers, dog lovers, a nd even those with neutral feelings towards animals. His favorite foods to beg were Tropigrill chicken and any type of fish. He loved going for walks with his family. When his Mom put her walking shoes on , hed rev up right away, dancing on his hind legs, and wagging his head back and forth in anticipation of the thrills to come. When the family moved out to Chul uota, he liked to go off on excursions alone when he got a chance (or someone le ft a gate open). Wed find him having the time of his life, exploring and trottin g along, visiting neighborhood dogs, trapped behind fences or chasing cats (at l east until they stopped running). In his youth, Biggie loved going to dog parks. He liked playing with bigger dog s, especially females. His parents think that he yearned to have puppies with a big bitch. He never seemed to acknowledge that hed been neutered, not tutored ( as he must have thought). When his dad first saw him, he said, That is the strangest looking dog I have eve
r [Link]. Big rocked an awesome long white beard throughout most of his life. H e also followed Ventures fashion, wearing the long black hair on the top of his h ead in dreadlocks. His fluffy little body sported white hair, set off by a numb er of faults or large spots of black hair. Big loved for his mom and dad to cradle him like a baby, coo at him and rub his chest. We will miss him very much. We are happy that he enjoyed life up until t he very end. Little Mr. Big was a special boy, indeed. May he rest in peace an d go on to doggie heaven.