Some of our Favorite Franklin Photos

Franklin and Dolly loved looking out the back of the pickup truck window

We thought we'd share some of our favorite photos of our Dachshund Franklin, who passed last week. Franklin was 16 and lived a full life. He loved chasing squirrels, birds and bunnies in the backyard. He didn't mind when I dressed him up for Halloween. and he loved walks and rides. He enjoyed doing everything with our Weimaraner, Dolly (who is now 15 1/2 and misses him terribly). 

Dolly and Franklin celebrate Franklin's 2nd birthday in March 2006

He Loved all food and treats and never turned anything down to eat! But hated getting his teeth brushed.  Like most Dachshunds, he liked to eat things outside that he shouldn't, so that meant more teeth brushing and sometimes he'd snarl when I came near him with a toothbrush! 

Franklin also LOVED sitting outside in the sunshine. I didn't matter how cold or how hot it was outside. As long as he was outside and it was sunny, he'd sit on the grass. In the last couple of months of his life, he had no tolerance for sitting outside. 

Tom, Dolly, Franklin, Rob and Tyler on a drive 

He was independent, and loving. 

He was bonded with Tom and always looked for Tom wherever he went. As he aged, he liked sitting on the big bed with Tom when I was upstairs blogging or writing at night and our other 3 dogs would stay with me. 

Franklin as a youngster in the sunshine he so loved

He made quite the impression on so many and he's still very, very much around. Enjoy these pictures! 

Franklin wink

Dolly as a shark and Franklin as skeleton  one Halloween

Friends Jane and Rose Share Memories of Franklin the Dachshund

Picnic at Ft. Mc Henry

This Franklin Friday features a tribute to our Dachshund Franklin who passed away on May 8 this year. He made an impression on everyone he met. Today's blog has some memories that our friends Jane and Rose shared about their meetings with Franklin. 

Franklin and Dolly SQUIRREL CHASING! 

JANE'S MEMORIES: Franklin was such a cool dog with a big personality, so smart and handsome, too. My first memory of him was at the American Visionary Art Museum annual July 4th Pet Parade (too many years ago to believe!). He sat on Tom's lap and was clearly so over all the silliness surrounding him at the "butt-sniffing, trick-turning, leg-lifting" shenanigans. 

Jane and Steve took this pic of us at Ft. McHenry

Another time, I saw him sprint across a yard in Bowie to chase a squirrel. He was very, very fast. I always liked seeing him and Dolly together.

ROB'S NOTE: We also brought Franklin and Dolly to a picnic with Jane and Steve at Fort McHenry. That was a very memorable event! 
  Jane and Steve also took one of our favorite photos of us with Franklin and Dolly at Fort McHenry that day. 

Rose's Daughter posed with Franklin

ROSE'S MEMORY: Rose and her family met Franklin and Dolly in the mid-2000s when we met them on a fundraising walk for a Baltimore Animal Rescue around a reservoir in Baltimore City. During the event, Rose's daughter posed for a photo with Franklin. Rose sent that photo to us last week after Franklin passed. She still had it on her phone after 15 years!

Tom and Franklin, Rob and Dolly at the Baltimore Walk

Our 3 Dogs Prove They Know Franklin Passed

Dolly put her paw on top of Tyler's for a long period

If you read our blog from May 9, you know our 16 year old Dachshund Franklin passed on Friday, May 8th. As a dog dad and an author of 2 books on how pets communicate from the afterlife, I've learned a lot about the emotions of dogs and that they also experience the same grief we do when they know someone passes (whether other pet or human). In today's blog, I'm sharing some observations of how our dogs Dolly, Tyler and Dash acknowledged Franklin's passing and how they love each other.

Franklin and Dolly bonded when they met in 2005 (when Tom and I met). When Tyler came into the family in late 2012, he bonded with Dolly and Franklin assumed his independence (out of love for Tyler, I believe). 

Our kids on the seat in the pickup truck 5-7-20

DOLLY AND TYLER - The week Franklin was still with us, he was in pain, moaning and uncomfortable. That's when I noticed that on Dolly's bed, Dolly had gently placed her paw on top of Tyler's paw. They sat that way for very long time. 

DOLLY AND FRANKLIN  -  On the day before Franklin passed, we took the 4 dogs out for a ride. That's usually a Wednesday thing for a trip to Annapolis and new comics night, but during the pandemic, the comics shop isn't open, so Tom and I drove to get take out on a Thursday. In the back seat, Franklin had laid his head across Dolly's outstretched legs for most of the 25 minute round trip. Dolly let him do that, and it's because she loves him. 

L to R: Tyler, Dash (front), Dolly (back)

Franklin the week before he passed

RECOGNITION OF FRANKLIN'S PASSING BY THE OTHER DOGS

After Franklin passed at the veterinarian's office on May 8, when we returned home, his sister and brothers knew what happened. 

ODD BEHAVIOR - When we came in the door (in our distraught emotional state), his sister Dolly brought us a toy for the first time in about a year. Tyler and Dash wouldn't stop sniffing us. They knew, they recognized his decline over the last couple of months, too.

SNIFFING FRANKLIN'S OUTDOOR SPOT -The next morning, a Saturday, after our other three dogs woke up, they all went out in the fenced in back yard to do their business. Dolly, our senior Weimaraner who grew up with Franklin and lived with him for 15 of his 16 years walked over to the spot on the grass where Franklin used to go. She bent down and sniffed it, apparently looking for his scent. 

DOLLY MAKES A STAND- After Dolly and the other two dogs came back inside the house, she walked over to Franklin's bed (that was still there) and put her right paw in it. She has never done that in all of her 15 years. 

She stood there for a good minute and looked at me. 

It was then I knew she was acknowledging Franklin's passing. 

4 Signs from Franklin the Dachshund's Spirit in 24 Hours

Franklin on May 8, 2020 - his last day 

If you read our blog from 2 days ago, you know our 16 year old Dachshund Franklin passed on Friday, May 8th. You likely also know that I have the ability to sense spirits (who crossed) and earthbound ghosts, and I wrote 2 books about how pets communicate from the afterlife (Pets in the Afterlife 1 and 2). We knew it was a matter of time before Franklin conveyed his presence to us from spirit, and within 24 hours got 4 acknowledgements. This blog is about those signs.

FRANKLIN SENDS 4 SIGNS IN 24 HOURS

You don't have to be a medium to recognize signs from loved ones in spirit. You just need to pay attention. We were paying attention and we picked up on three signs he sent us in 24 hours.

The First Sign

After taking care of our other three dogs, Tom went into the den and turned on the television to get his mind off what just transpired. I went upstairs to write about it. Tom said that while sitting in the den, he heard Franklin moaning from the kitchen. He knew immediately it was Franklin. Pets in spirit will make noises that we can associate with them, to let us know they are still around.

The Second Sign

In our house, every night at 8 p.m. we have "Three Treats" for our dogs. Whenever I announce "three treats" they all run in the kitchen and line up. That night of Franklin's passing when I announced three treats, a massive chill came over me and I had goose bumps on my arms and up and down my spine. I had to go put on a sweatshirt… I was that cold. I knew it was Franklin. He never misses "three treat time." 

The reason that sudden isolated area of cold indicates a presence is that when spirits are around, they try to materialize by drawing energy. Franklin was drawing the energy of the motion of air molecules and slowing them down, creating colder air (warm air is fast moving molecules). I knew he was not going to miss is favorite time of the night (in fact, he would always start moaning and crying about 1 hour each night before three treat time).

Jan 2020- Lining up for 3 treat time.

The Third Sign

As usual, all of the dogs came into the kitchen and lined up. But they left a large space between two of them… a place where Franklin would sit. He was apparently sitting between them.

The Fourth Sign

The first night without Franklin, Tom and I basically cried ourselves to sleep. We knew that it would be the first night in a long time, where we would not be awakened by his cries or his nails on the floor. For the last 2 months of his life, his bed was in the kitchen (because he moaned a lot and kept us and the other dogs awake).

In the last several months of his time here, Franklin woke up every 3 or so hours. So bedtime at 11pm would mean he got up at 2:30 or 3am and whine and cry to go out. We would always get up and carry him outside (he couldn't walk), then bring him in and gave him water and treats to coax him back to sleep.

Franklin in his bed in the kitchen

At 2:30 a.m. that night, I was awakened by the sound of a dog's nails scampering across the wood floor of the kitchen. I sat up in bed and listened for a full minute. Dolly was laying on her bed sleeping next to our bed. Tyler was laying in our bed between us, and Dash was softly snoring on his bed against one of the walls of the room. I knew it was Franklin. There was physically no one else here that could have made that noise. So, Franklin made yet another appearance, letting us know that he's still very much here.

The Toughest Franklin Friday: Helping Our Boy Cross Over

It was the day that every dog parent dreads. On May 8, 2020, we said goodbye to our 16
year old Dachshund, Franklin, to help him move on out of pain. Pet parents know that it is gut-wrenching.

HIS DECLINE - We've watched his decline over the last 5 months when he started struggling to walk. Then the moaning and discomfort followed. By March, he couldn't get out of bed so we would carry him outside in the morning. If we held him up by his tail he could walk only 10-20 feet. Sometimes he'd find brief strength to get up.
  We recognized he wasn't himself when he wouldn't stay outside in the sun (which he loved). We knew he had dementia. He also stopped playing with toys in March and started moaning on and off throughout the day (and night).
     He was on 2 pain meds and tranquilizers at night just to sleep and he only slept about 3 hours at a time, waking up to pee and then drink a lot of water (we tested for kidney failure and for Cushings disease and they were negative)

Daddies Tom and Rob with Franklin 5-8-20

Franklin had back surgery in 2015 and recovered, but his walk was always wobbly. His recent decline started less than 2 months ago when he couldn't walk around the block anymore. In early April, we took him to the vet and found out another disc slipped on his back so he couldn't stand up on his own. He was too old for surgery again. We noticed his back became arched, hunched.

Tom and Franklin 5-8-20

   In the last month after carrying him outside, we held up his back end by the root of his tail and he would walk 10 feet and fall over. Sometimes he peed on himself. Sometimes he pooped on himself. He lost all motivation to do anything other than eat. He was very unhappy. He wasn't chasing squirrels anymore or playing with toys.. He didn't try to find us in the house and just wanted to sit in isolation in his bed in the kitchen. He was distancing himself.

MAKING A DECISION - We talked with the vet, we recognized all of these things and we talked about what was best for Franklin. We didn't want to face it. These decisions are based in unselfish love.
Tom was the strong one. He thought it was the best thing to do, and the vet agreed. I kept making excuses, and recognized I was being selfish. We spoke with the vet on Monday evening, May 4th and she agreed it was time, so we made the appointment for yesterday, Friday, May 8th.

Franklin and Dolly - best friends 5-8-20

FRANKLIN'S PUPPYHOOD -Tom adopted Franklin in early May 2004 (a year before we met) in South Carolina. He picked Franklin out of a litter because Franklin was sitting by himself away from his littermates. Franklin was the one rock for Tom during his move back to Maryland and the many challenges Tom met - while keeping Franklin in the forefront. When Tom and Franklin met me and Dolly in December 2005, we all got along. Franklin and Dolly bonded immediately and they were always together.

COMING HOME AFTER THE VET - Franklin passed peacefully after getting the sedative. We looked him in the eye the entire time. Tom held his paw, I stroked Franklin's forehead. We told him we love him. When we returned home, his sister and brothers knew what happened. When we came in the door (in our distraught emotional state), his sister Dolly brought us a toy for the first time in about a year. Tyler and Dash wouldn't stop sniffing us. They knew, they recognized his decline over the last couple of months, too.

L to R: Dash, Franklin, Tyler, Dolly on a walk, 2-17-20 

There is nothing like the love of a dog, and although he's outlived most in his breed (he's a dachshund), it's the most difficult act of love we can ever make.
It's been since 2013 that we last had to do this (for our 16 year old, Sprite), and it doesn't get any easier.

THE EMPTINESS HURTS - The physical loss of our boy has been traumatic for us. We have the memories... but his bed is empty. We've had to say goodbye to a best friend and a child. We will be hugging our other kids a lot. I know we will hear him bark and moan from the other side now that he's with Buzz and Sprite, Ed and my mom and dad.

Franklin on 5-4-20 

I'll write more about Franklin in later blogs, to keep his memory alive.