Spot On Someone Who Made A Difference

~This post will be a bit heavy on the Labrador retriever pictures, but there is a reason.~ Beatrix

~A friend of ours died this past week. Dale Tibbits, DVM. Since we have lived out here our lives have been intertwined with Dr. Tibbits' . He was our vetrinarian, he was an employer of our sons and nephew for a few years. He was the landlord of our dear friends, Dirt and Lanny ( It's The Dirt, in sidebar ) But really, he was so much more than that. Mabel (below) is our black Lab. ~Dale Tibbits was almost always seen with one, two, or many more black Labs. Dale was an avid hunter and field trial dog trainer and competitor. We would see his truck all around the area , Labs in their carrier, or often we would see Dale training them in his ponds and fields, or Ft.Lewis range land.When our sons and nephew were younger Dale would take them along for help. ~Dale made a difference in our sons' lives. A good difference!

~Here is Sienna, Mabels' sister, and mother to our dogs Beatrix and Willow. Now the little stinker has a litter of Vizsla / Labs. She is a good Mom. When she surprised us this past weekend with puppies I had made a mental note to myself to call Dale when we got back from the coast to have him dew-claw the pups and dock their tails. Dale did this for us in his home office, and usually we or the Vick girls were called into action to hold the puppies while he clipped and stitched. (Sienna is a Yellow Lab, yellow Labs can be anywhere from white, to yellow, to fox red, as Sienna is) ~When we called our daughter this weekend to see how the animals were doing she told us the animals were fine, but she had some bad news. Dale Tibbits was dead. You know, it is hard to imagine someone as alive, someone who fully enjoyed life and lived it to the fullest, as dead. ~This is Willow(below), Sienna's daughter, Mabel's niece, Beatrix' sister, half sister to litter in the kitchen right now. Sienna and Beatrix had their dew- claws removed by Dale. Sienna also had a hunting accident repaired by Dale. ~Dale is someone who if you know him, you will always remember him. Whenever we are gathered with anyone who remotely knows Dale Tibbits there are the 'Dale stories'. Believe me, the 'Dale Stories' will be told to grandchildren of our grandchildren. I think his funeral will be full of people remembering their 'Dale Stories'. Dale was interesting, funny, and I believe he is what one calls an 'eccentric', in the true sense of the word. ~This is our oldest dog, Misty(below). She is blind now. About 7 years ago she had her last litter of puppies. She was having trouble and could not pass a puppy. Dale told me to bring her in. While he munched on cookies he checked her out. Yes, Dale munched a lot on snacks. After a while, he had X-rays taken and they showed a very, very, large puppy stuck in the birth canal. Instead of rushing to C-section, Dale did a little bit of manipulating, and waiting. He waited awhile, and after more manipulating, the puppy came out...ALIVE ! And you know, two more came out fine, then Dale had me take her home where the rest of the puppies were born alive and well. I know had I taken her anywhere else she would have had a C-section. Thank-you Dale ! ~Here is Hawk(below), Hubby's Vizsla, father of the litter of puppies. (sly dog) Hawk somehow managed to slice a large hole in the top of his front right leg, just below the chest.I could see the muscle wall, a lot of blood.... You have to see how thin the skin is and how little there is to stitch together on the slender foreleg of a Vizsla to appreciate what Dale did. Hawk sliced his leg open while Hubby was away on business, on a weekend. Fortunately Dale was home, which is just across the highway from us. I rushed Hawk over to Dales' and he had Bet, one of Dirt and Lanny's daughters help , and we held Hawk while Dale stitched. He predicted problems with such a delicate area, but you know, Dale did a great job and Hawk healed fine. He still has a large scar there, but the skin held together. ~I could go on and on about what Dale has done over the years for our animals...I will leave the "Dale Stories' for other times and gatherings. Dale was killed in an ATV accident while hunting with friends in Montana. All who know Dale even a little will know Dale was having a great time until the end....hunting, friends, ATV's, Montana.....Dale leaves behind his beautiful wife of many, many years. He leaves behind grown children, and grandchildren. Friends, colleagues. People who have benefited from his generosity. Dirt and Lanny and their children live next door to Dale and his wife, they will miss him terribly. Their daughters don't know life there without Dale, his dogs, his antics and ideas. Life around here will be a bit less interesting without Dale. ~One thing we do know about Dale though, Dale loved Jesus ! This is what Dale held to be true:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 We'll meet in Heaven. I hope Labrador Retrievers romp there !