This week we lost our sweet deaf Boston Terrier Bowie to Congestive Heart Failure. He was diagnosed 30 weeks ago and on Feb 14, 2025 he was at home and just laid down, closed his eyes, and he was gone. We had made the decision at 5AM that morning that we would make an appointment at our vet’s office when it opened at 9:00am to say goodbye because we knew it was his time. Animals have a way of letting you know when it is time and we never let our beloved pets suffer. Bowie had stopped eating, didn’t get any sleep the night before because he was so restless and his heartbeat had been at 120-140 for several days. I pray that my deaf dogs Nitro, Bud, Cornell, Tallulah Jane, and our hearing dogs Bailey and Pepe where waiting across the bridge to greet him.
Above: A photo of our beloved sweet deaf Boston Terrier Bowie Lee
Above: Bowie in 2015 with our deaf dogs Nitro, Bud, Tallulah and our hearing dogs Bailey and Pepe.
Above: (from Left to Right) Bowie in 2018 with our deaf dogs Nitro, Bud, Tallulah, Cornell and hearing Chihuahua Pepe
We knew it was his time. Bowie decided to give us a gift and die peacefully at home surrounded by all his best friends. He left this world on his own terms which is how he lived his entire life. He was such a special unicorn of a deaf dog. He could tell me exactly what was on his mind just be pointing to something with his eyes, then looking at me and repeating the motion several times until I figured out exactly what he was asking for. Bowie was also our velcro dog. He slept in our bed for 10 years because when he was a puppy he had the worst night terrors. If myself or Chris would sit down on the couch or laydown, it was Bowie that had to be on top of us 100% of the time. He was best friends to all the dogs that came here to the farm. At one time we had six deaf dogs and he was one of them.
Below are some of the wonderful photos and memories of our sweet Bowie. Chris and I will miss him every single minute of every day.
Above: 2015 when Chris drove to Troy, Virginia to pick up Bowie from our rescue partners and friends at Green Dogs Unleashed Rescue.
Above: Bowie’s first week here at the farm in SW Virginia
Above: Bowie’s first week here at the farm. We had so much fun taking photos of him because he was so darn cute and photogenic.
Above: Photo of Christina and Bowie taking their first Group Positive Reinforcement Puppy Training class at Field of Dreams Training Center
Above: deaf Boston Bowie and deaf boxer Bud chilling in the sunshine.
Above: Sweet deaf Boston Bowie with his friends, deaf boxer Bud and sweet senior Chihuahua Pepe.
Above: Sweet Bowie
Above: Our deaf boxer Bud was so taken by Bowie when he got here on the farm. They were attached at the hip.
Above: Deaf Boston Bowie, visually impaired senior dog Pepe, deaf Chug Tallulah Jane and deaf boxer Bud.
Above: Our Patriotic puppy Bowie!
Above: Our deaf Boston Bowie was named after David Bowie..
Above: Bowie loved floating with his daddy in our pool on the hot summer days.
Camping with Dogs
Because Chris and I had not been on vacation together in over 20 years (because of all the animals on the farm and all the special needs dogs, one of use is always home while the other travels) we decided in 2020 to by an 11 year old used Class C RV to be able to go to campgrounds within a couple hours of the farm to get away on our own little doggy vacations. We always took all five dogs with us.
Photo above: We set up dog panels that connect to our RV door so the dogs have their own area and stay safe from strangers and other roaming dogs. We also use a fabric tarp on the non-lakeside of the fencing to block their view of dogs and people walking by so they never bark when we are camping.
We also had a recent loss of our 15 year old deaf senior dog Tallulah Jane of CHF on August 9, 2024 – This was her last camping trip in April 2024.
Tallulah, and the other dogs had to go through several weeks of daily positive reinforcement training to get used to the Class C RV. We had playdates with special toys every afternoon.
Our last group photo with all the dogs in the RV before Tallulah passed in August 2024.
Bowie checking out all the dog beds I packed for our camping trips. These were stored in the RV bedroom on the bed.
Above: For the last four years, Bowie and the other dogs loved to go camping at Philpott Lake. We purchased a Class C Motor Home to take our deaf dogs on trips and they loved going. The above photo was taken at Philpott Lake. Top photo: The dogs got about 6 walks a day when we were camping.
Above: Smiling Bowie
Until we meet again my sweet love. I pray you are chasing balls and are surrounded by all the deaf and hearing dogs who adored you! We will miss you every second of every day until the end of our days. ~ Christina and Chris Lee
