BERKELEY, the best dog that ever lived
My husband had Berk before I met him. After I came into the picture, however, Berkeley became MY dog. He was the most well-behaved, best trained dog ever. He was a Pomeranian, a smart breed to be sure, but he wasn't snippy or tempermental. He was amazing...you could put him in a "sit/stay", put a piece of steak in front of him and leave the room, and that little guy would just slobber and drool, but he wouldn't touch it until the command was given. We would put cheese on his nose, and after being given the okay, he'd flip the cheese up into the air and catch it in his mouth.
Berkeley was so well house-trained that he'd cross his legs and suffer before going in the house!! We weren't good about keeping him brushed, so we had him shaved and everybody would ask us what kind of dog he was...and even near the end, no one could believe that he was almost eleven years old--they thought he was a puppy! He did have one flaw...he had the worst breath EVER!!! I was afraid to let him breathe on my baby, for fear of knocking the baby out!!! Even the vet paled when he smelled his breath!!! Regular teeth-cleanings didn't really do the trick, but it did make it easier to have him in the same room with us!!!
Berk suffered from seizures, and due to our ignorance, he suffered longer than needed with them. It took us several years before we got them under control, and by then, he had some brain damage (which seemed to get worse with age). This was our fault...we didn't educate ourselves enough and Berkeley had to pay the price for our laziness and stupidity. We did manage to get the seizures under control, though, and his last years were almost seizure-free.
We had to put Berkeley down in February of 1999. He was suffering from chronic pancreatitis and he was in terrible pain. I held him when he got his shot, and he didn't even wince. He just shut his sweet little eyes and went quietly to the bridge. I miss him terribly and would do anything to have him back by my side.
This is for you, our faithful, sweet Berkeley. May you be resting at the feet of Christ, for that is where you belong. Your family misses you.
All our love, forever.