"TXKS TONKA TUFF"
 BORN 11-6-03
RAINBOW BRIDGE 2-06-04

(WHILE I WROTE THIS  I CRYED SO HARD!!)

WE HADNT DONE THIS PAGE TILL NOW DUE TO LOOSING THIS LITTLE GUY WAS HEART WRENCHING!!!  TONKA WAS BORN HERE AT TXK ON NOVEMBER 6 ,2003 TO OUR FOUNDATION FEMALE RIA AND VASQUEZS NIKO. WHEN TONKA WAS FIRST BORN HE COULDNT NURSE AND I TOOK HIM INTO THE VET TO SEE IF MAYBE HE HAD A SLIGHT CLEFT PALATE  THAT WOULD BE CAUSING HIM TO NOT BE ABLE TO NURSE. THE VET SAID TONKA WAS FINE AND THAT HE JUST NEEDED ALITTLE HELP BEING HE WAS THE LITTLE GUY. SO WE TOOK HIM HOME AND  HELPED HIM NURSE ON RIA FOR THREE DAYS. THEN WE TOOK HIM OUT OF THE BOX AND HE  WAS BOTTLE FED. TONKA GREW AND  WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF WEEKS HE ALWAYS ROLLED OVER LIKE HE WAS OFF BALANCE. AGAIN WE TOOK HIM INTO THE VET. AFTER SOME TESTS WE FOUND OUT THAT TONKA HAD A NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEM AND THAT HIS NECK BONES WERE FUSED TOGETHER . TONKA  WASNT IN ANY PAIN BUT THE VET SAID HE MAY DEVELOPE SIEZURES LATER IN LIFE THAT COULD MAYBE TREATED WITH A SURGERY. SHE SAID HE WOULD BE ALOT OF WORK AND THAT EITHER I COULD PUT HIM DOWN OR SPEND THE TIME AND MONEY ON HIM. WELL WE ALREADY WERE IN LOVE WITH HIM SO I DECIDED TO TAKE THE CHALLENGE. TONKA GREW AND BECAME THE  LIGHT OF EVERYONES DAY IN OUR HOME!!! WHEN PEOPLE CAME OVER IT WAS TONAK THEY WANTED TO SEE!!! TONKA TONKA TONKA EVERYONE LOVED TONKA. HE HAD MANY PROBLEMS ONE BEING HIS LEFT LEG WAS LONGER THEN HIS RIGHT (YOU CAN SEE IN HIS PICK) HE HAD THE FUSED  BONES IN HIS NECK WHICH DIDNT ALLOW HIM TO LOOK UP SO HE WOULD HAVE TO  TURN HIS NECK SIDEWAYS TO LOOK UP AT YOU. HE ALSO WAS MISSING FOUR RIBS ON HIS LEFT SIDE. DESPITE ALL THESE PROBLEMS TONKA WAS THE HAPPIEST  PUPPY ALIVE. HE PLAYED AND BARKED AND FOLLOWED US ALL OVER THE HOUSE. SLEPT WITH THE KIDS AND WATCHED TV WITH US ON THE COUCH EVERY NIGHT. HE WENT BYE BYE IN THE CAR AND EVEN LOVED THE PET STORE RIDING IN THE CART. HE CARRIED HIS "BOODA" BABY(NEXT TO HIM IN HIS XMAS PICTURE ABOVE) ALL OVER THE HOUSE BEATING IT UP!! WHEN THE KIDS WOULD LEAVE FOR SCHOOL HE WOULD FOLLOW THEM TO THE DOOR  TILL IT CLOSED. THEN I WOULD SAY COME ON TONKA LETS GET BREAKFAST AND HE WOULD COME A RUNNIN AND ALL YOU WOULD HEAR BEHIND ME IS THUNK THUNK THUNK ON OUR WOOD FLOOR FROM HIS ONE BIG FOOT..LOL..HE WAS A CARD AND A HALF!!! I CANT STRESS ENOUGH HOW HAPPY THIS PUPPY WAS HE NEVER  KNEW HE WAS SICK OR THAT HE HAD PROBLEMS I DONT EVEN THINK HE KNEW HE WAS A DOG!!!! ON FEBUARY 6,2004 EXACTLY THREE MONTHS FROM THE DAY HE WAS BORN..I GOT THE PHONE CALL I WISHED I WOULD NEVER GET!!!!! IT WAS MY DAUGHTER FRANTIC !!  "MOM TONKA HAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM HE IS SHAKING REALLY BAD COME HOME!!!" I RUSHED HOME TO FIND WHAT I KNEW WAS TONKA IN SIEZURES!!! MY HEART FELT LIKE IT HAD BEEN STABBED!!!!! I FELL TO THE FLOOR IN TEARS CAUSE I KNEW  HIS  END WAS NEAR. AFTER ABOUT TEN MINUTES OF BAWLING I WENT WITH TONKA AND MY SON TO THE VET. AFTER SOME TESTS THE VET CAME IN AND BROKE THE WORST NEWS I HAD EVER RECIEVED IN MY LIFE..TONKAS SIEZURES WOULD NOT BE CORRECTABLE THREW SURGERY ONLY SOME MEDS THAT MAY SLOW THEM DOWN AND MAKE HIM ALITTLE SICK. I THEN LOOKED AT TONKA AND ASKED HIM TO UNDERSTAND THAT HIS QUALITY OF LIFE WILL NEVER BE GOOD AND THAT TO PUT HIM TO SLEEP WOULD KILL ME BUT WOULD HE UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS THE HUMANE THING TO DO AND WOULD HE FORGIVE ME...WITH THAT TONKA MANAGED IN BETWEEN SMALL SIEZURES TO GIVE ME A LICK ON MY FACE..I KNEW THEN HE UNDERSTOOD AND  TONKA WAS PEACEFULLY LAID TO REST AT  4:37 PM ON FEBUARY 6 ,2004 WITH ME BY HIS SIDE.I AM 35 YEARS OLD AND THIS WAS THE HARDEST AND WORST THING I HAVE EVER HAD TO DO IN MY LIFE AND NEVER WANT TO DO IT AGAIN! TONKA WAS ONLY WITH US FOR THREE MONTHS BUT HE LEFT US A LIFETIME OF WONDERFUL MEMORIES!!!!! THANK YOU FOR LOVING OUR WHOLE FAMILY TONKA..YOU ARE FOREVER IN MY MEMORIES!!!!!