4 Doxies, the Everglades National Park, and a Sad Ending

We took the our four Dachshunds on a hike to the Everglades National Park after Thanksgiving. I know, I am so late in getting this posted, but maybe there was a good reason. As I began to write this post, I was looking at the pictures I was going to use. It was then that the sadness set in. 

We take our dogs with us everywhere and there was of course pictures of them. This one in particular made me cry.

It was a beautiful day although it was quite warm. The dogs love to ride in the car but they also enjoy roaming around.

Inside the Everglades National Park was this lake. It was a quiet day, not too many people around. We had this whole area to ourselves.

It is not a hugh lake and it is shallow as it nears the shore. 

You could walk into the water at this point. However, the signs tell you "no swimming" and "keep dogs on a leash".

This quiet water and serene setting might fool you, but make no mistake, alligators can be lurking. We didn't see any, but that doesn't mean they were not in the water. After all, this is Florida.

This is Caleigh - our 5 year old Black/Tan Long-haired Dapple.

This is Louie - he is Caleigh's baby boy. He is 3 years old. They look so much a like. When we walk them, kids think say we have twins.

This is Roddy - an English Cream Long Hair. He is 4 years old. He was hunting so I didn't get a good picture of him.

They just had a treat and some water. Our old girl - Marina is the tan one with all the grey on her face.

You may remember her from other blog posts. We rescued her when she was around  9 years old and has been with us for six years.

Now for the sad part. Right before Christmas, we lost Marina. She was around 15 and had a good life. It happen quickly, which was good for her and sad for us. 

She is greatly missed and has left a hole in our hearts. The other dogs miss her too.

Now that our children are grown and on their own, our dogs are our children now. We are so attached to them, so when we lose one of them, it hurts so much. 

We have decided not to get another dog at this time, but who knows when we will need to rescue another dachshund. If you have never rescued a pet, I suggest that you consider it. Marina was a blessing and the best dog ever. 

The post  4 Doxies, the Everglades National Park, and a Sad Ending first appeared on Eclectic Red barn.

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