May 27, 2003 – August 29, 2010

The world has lost yet another great French bulldog this year. Tucker came to our home in 2004, a few months before his first birthday and we knew that he would be a special boy to all of us. With his sticky-out, wiggly tail and his unique gait, Tuck had a style all his own. His personality was bigger than big and he was always “the supervisor” at our house. No one was allowed to do much of anything without Tuck’s direct supervision!! It could be something as simple as doing laundry or a task as daunting as gardening, and Tucker would be your man on the job, making sure that you were not messing it up. He was also very vocal about his opinion . . . if he thought the water dish needed refilling or if a throw rug was not in the right place on the floor for him to be able to walk forward (he could not walk on a slippery floor at all), he would bark his “hey, someone come fix this for me” bark and we’d go find him and he’d have a look on his face like “what took you so long to figure this out?” And, once again, we’d feel stupid and realize that we really needed his direct supervision!!

Tucker was born with spinal issues and was later diagnosed with Spina Bifida. Tuck’s rear legs and hips were a disaster and would not stay in the sockets or grooves like they should. His mobility was greatly affected and he ran sideways more than straight, but he kept every one of us in line (people and dogs) on a daily basis!! He had no idea that he was different, he just knew that the rest of us needed to be watched very closely at all times because we might not complete our tasks to his high standards.

Tuck-man was key in helping the many fosters that came through our home as they learned the house rules and which toys were ok to play with and which ones should be avoided (his toys, of course).

For a dog with so many health issues working against him, Tucker found a way to make things work. Sometimes he just needed some extra time to get up and get going and other times he needed meds to make him slow down, but he was bound and determined not to be left out of anything. Unfortunately, his body stopped working with him and started working against him and after a while, it just wasn’t working much at all.

Tucker crossed the Bridge while in our arms on a warm, sunny day while we were looking out the windows at the flowers and fields filled with butterflies and dragonflies outside.

There will never be another Tuck-man and we will make many errors without his supervision to keep us all on the straight and narrow, but we would never have changed a thing about our sharing our lives with Tuck-Tuck. He was such a gentle soul and we will miss him so very, very much.

Trish, Dave, Marissa & Kailee