My brother BenBenBen...

I've been thinking of my brother, BenBenBen, lately.  Hopefully, Doggie Heaven is all it is cracked up to be and I'll will be able to see my brother and all my friends who have passed away over the years.  But Ben...I miss him.

Ben died June 30, 2008.  That was a hard day for us.  We had the same biological parents but came from litters 3 years apart.  When I came home to my MMM and my DDD, in 1999, Ben didn't seem to mind at all. He let me sleep on the bed, play with his toys and he waited for me when we'd come back inside.  He always had to get his food first since he was a vulture so my MMM and my DDD accommodated him.  Rest assured, I never missed a meal. But BBB got to lick the plate first, get the treat first, get the tablespoon of i...c...e......c...r...e...a...m (BBB could also spell) and get his bowl of homemade food first.  I alway waited patiently for my turn. 

Ben was a difficult guy.  He was moody, growly and didn't warm up to humans easily.  He bit my MMM many times but she explained it was due to his Cushing's Disease. It made him grumpy but she and my  DDD accepted him as he was.  His hair fell out, his belly got big, he did some bad potty but somehow my parents loved him anyway. I watched all the things Ben did that weren't good and I didn't copy him:  no biting, no bad potty, no growling and no being mean to humans.  So I became who I am and he was him, really weird but loved nonetheless.

Over the years we became very close and when he died, my MMM and DDD brought his lifeless little body home to show me he was dead. They didn't want me to spend the rest of my life looking for him.  I sniffed him from head to toe realizing he was gone. It  scared me so I ran under the bed where I stayed for hours.  I couldn't eat for weeks. No appetite without Ben.  Eventually, my MMM had to take me to the doctor who said to make me special food; sauteed potatoes, chicken and rice. I finally ate and gained back my lost weight over time.

During this period, every time I ate, my MMM gave me a little treat for being a good boy and eating my food.  To this day, every single time I eat, I go stand by the treat drawer and patiently wait while she gives me a treat. I've got her trained!  Ha ha ha ha!!! 

In the mornings she'd give me my food and would then take a bath.  I'd eat my bowl of food and run into the bathroom quickly pushing the shower curtain aside with my nose to see her sitting in the tub.  (How odd that humans sit in a tub with those funny bubbles).  I made my usual little bark that said "I ate my food.  Now get my treat."  The first thing she'd do after getting dried off was to get my treat. She behaves, like me.  I've taught her well.