In Remembrance...

Capt. Floatin' Totin' Tony Bologna
Feb. 24, 1997 -- June 17, 2003
Austin, TX

Tony was born the day after my twelfth birthday and every birthday after that we celebrated together. I have never met a more vivacious little Puggie in all my days, he seemed more human than most of the people I went to school with. He was my little buddy, and he loved his "treats" (your usual doggie biscuits you'd pick up at PetSmart). Tony also adored riding in the car. Oh how he loved it. He'd bark at everything when there was nothing there. At night when I'd put him in his kennel I'd go out to the backyard, where we had a pot of yellow dasies by the door, and I'd pick one and place it in his kennel for him; I'd say, "Look, a flower for Tony!" He'd try to eat it and each time, I'd laugh and say "No no, you don't eat the flower, Tony!" Sometimes when my mother and I would swim in our pool Mom would sit on this floatie thing, the ones you can lie back in and float around on, and I would carefully hand her Tony. He'd be a bit nervous at first, but eventually h! e'd be fine. She would hold on to him and go paddling around the pool with Tony in front of her, making sure not to let him slip 'n' slide off........ we called him the Captain of the Seybold Pool, thus the "Floatin' Totin'" portion of his name. He floated along, "toting" the floatie along behind him. Mom and I kick ourselves to this day for not filming that or getting it on video, it was so darn cute.

On the night of June 16th, 2003, I stayed up a bit late into the night and morning of the 17th, watching a spot of TV in the kitchen. Tony loved to come sit with me while I watched TV, and I always played with him while watching. At one in the morning I decided it was time to go up and get ready for bed, so I told Tony to get in his kennel and he did right away, but as I swung the little door shut I looked at him back there and this feeling came over me, an impulse to call him back out again and play with him for another moment, so I did. I played w/ him, I hugged him and I gave him a kiss, and was sure to say, "I love you, Tony, you're my good boy." So I put him to bed and went up to do the same myself.

The next morning at eight thirty I was awoken by the calls of my mother. She sounded strange. She said she thought Tony was sick and maybe we needed to take him to the vet's office. I went downstairs and into the kitchen to find it in an awful state, the smell just about knocked me out. Tony was lying on his side in the utility room in a waking coma, foaming at the mouth. I was dressed and clean in five minutes and I wrapped him in a towel. Mom drove, I held my little Puggie for his last ride in the car. The vet, another Pug owner (she has about four or five herself!), was waiting outside for us (Mom had called beforehand) and Mom took him from me, running to the vet and putting Tony in her arms as they rushed back into the vet's office. I watched all this as I climbed out of the car, and that was the last time I saw my good boy. The next week we went to pick up his little body from TX A&M Univ. after he after his necropsy. We had him specially cremated, and the vet! who had helped us had taken a piece of clay and pressed his little foot into it, writing his name, year of birth and of death below it. She also clipped a piece of fur from behind his ear and put it in a little plastic bag. We also saved his collar, and all of these items, including his favorite tennis ball and a nice picture of him, reside on my windowsil.

I found out about his death while at the mall with a friend. I went on to the movies with her while I'm thinking I should have stayed w/ him, and Mom left me a message saying my boy had died before they could have done anything for him. I'm glad she was with him when he left, though. We're not too sure as to what happened, but we think he might have gotten into some new sod in the back yard; the yard dude had said there was something in the sod that was very much like chocolate, which, as you know, can be fatal to doggies.

I can't believe our little Tony left us like he did, and earlier than expected. He was six, and I thank heaven for all six wonderful years with my little best buddy. I miss him every day, but know that he's in no more pain and I'm happy with that. We love you, Tony!!!!