Reaper Tillman

It’s hard to really put into words the dog that gets you through your twenty’s. They are your ultimate sidekick ..at least that’s what my Reaper was and always will be. Piggy, my reaper reaper, baby boy, my chunk.. I had a million names I called him. I always considered him in my plans and he was always there. I was fortunate enough when we met to be running a warehouse where I could have him with me even at work. We moved across country 3 times together. Lucky for me he loved to ride, unlucky for any passengers the front seat was all his. I was asked if I could take him from a rough living situation back in 2013. I had him by my side pretty much every day from then on. His favorite toy was a tennis ball in his younger years we would take lunch at the soccer field across from my work and run our legs off. Those were such golden years that I cherish dearly now. As my big guy got a little older he steered away from the ball to his hedgehog. Those silly "Stuffies" we have all seen at Petco or PetSmart that grunt instead of squeak. He had a fixation for those things. I still have 6 of them and they are just from the past couple years, ha. He probably went through 100. My baby boys birthday was June 19, 2009. Not everyone is lucky enough especially with a rescue to know actual DOB but I was friends with the people who had both his parents at one point in time. His favorite food was pumpkin.. I could purée up some pumpkin for his food any old time and he was all about it. We had a Sunday football tradition of a couple scrambled eggs he would go pretty wild for too. My favorite memory? We took a week trip up into the Sierra Nevada foothills to hike, camp and explore and our last day it started to snow.. I never thought of it but he was 6 or so and had never seen snow. He jumped and played in it for a good half hour before we finally left to head home. I think about that day a lot. I’ve sobbed for days now because I still can’t believe my best friend had to leave me. I got my baby boys ashes back this afternoon and while it’s been rough and somber I feel at ease knowing he is right here with me again. I have 1000s of pictures and videos of him that I will cherish forever. Lots of family and friends have gone to be with Jesus over the years, I told him to find a familiar face and wait for me. We found each other when we needed each other in this life; for that I’ll be eternally thankful. I’ll always love my Reaper Reaper. As a side note I just want to thank everyone at Pet Memories for the kindness and reassurance, You have to have something very special in you to deal with grieving people and their beloved furry companions everyday. Thank you so so much for making this process quick and treating my baby boy well. Everything was really above and beyond.

Reaper Tillman

June 19, 2009 - September 25, 2024