Our rig is quieter now

Our trusty travel companion, Jazmine, is no longer with us. Last week we made the very hard decision to have our 12 year old girl put to sleep.

The phrase we used often when meeting new friends at the RV dog parks: "She's twelve, but she acts like she's four." She truly kept up that persona until the end.

What others didn't see, though, was the tremors/seizures she was having. They were coming more frequently, lasting longer, and each time she looked terrified to be in her own body. It's like her mind was present, but her body was doing things she couldn't control. We didn't want and couldn’t continue to see her in that level of pain and terror anymore.

If you have never gone through this, it’s not something we wish for anyone.  Ours was scheduled and a 30 mins drive away, terrible and tearful.  When the process finally started we held her head in our hands and as the weight slowly increased we knew she was no longer in pain and didn’t have to be terrified anymore.

Jazmine did live an adventurous life with us! Jazmine was born in Minnesota and has been with us through our various moves across the country. She lived and played in the snow in Minnesota. She went to the beach and played in the ocean when we lived in California. She lived with great views of the beautiful mountains of Utah. And she got to explore all of the new places we have driven to since we hit the road in July of 2023.

Our little girl loved to sit outside and just observe. She always seemed to be on guard for us, but in reality, she would just greet anyone who approached her with a wag, a smile, and lean in for a good pet.

We lovingly had nicknames for her, like any good pet owner. Jazmine was also known as: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jazmanian, Jack Tripper (as she started to slow down these last months, she got a little stumbly on our walks).

Our goofy little labradoodle was a good girl and we will miss her. She has left a gaping whole in our hearts that will take some time to heal. Ahead we have many firsts without her.  It is now weird and strange to leave the rig and not have to say, "We'll be back in a little while." And it’s strange not having her standing at the top of the steps to welcome us back home.

Please give your fur babies a little extra love today.

To Jazmine we say Thank You for all the great memories. Love and miss you.