A Member of our Pack has Left Us

For the last 10 years my husband and I have had 2 dogs, Allie and Buddy.  They have been our companions, time arrangers, controllers of our schedules (see previous blog entry) and pack members.  Buddy, our 15 - year -old retriever mix, had been failing for the last few months.  He had severe arthritis in his hips and was being treated by a veterinary acupuncturist for the last several months.  The acupuncture was successful but he continued to decline as advanced doggy age caught up with him.

We had to make the tough decision to put him to sleep this last weekend.  He could no longer walk and was unable to control his bladder.  He just was at the end of his ability to try any longer.  He would have continued just to keep my husband happy but was in pain, scared and just did not have the energy to fight any longer.  So my husband made the heart breaking decision to allow Buddy to pass from this life.

The vet made arrangements on a Sunday afternoon to help us and we took Buddy for his last car ride.  He spent his last day trying to do the things he loved, get a toilet drink, have snacks, steal our other dog's treats and get his ears petted.  Yet we knew that every step and movement was taking its toll on him.

Now we have to get through our grief and also help Allie, our other dog, get through hers.  She has never known a time when Buddy was not part of her life as her companion and general nuisance.  It's heart breaking to watch her look for him as we take our walks, or search the house for him in his favorite places when we return.

I know this grief will pass, we will move on in our lives and keep Buddy in our hearts as a happy memory.  I also hope that as my husband and I pass from this life we will see our dogs as we cross from this existence to the next.

Buddy had a long and happy life.  We adopted him from a rescue organization when he was a puppy and he lived with us for 15 and 1/2 years.  He was not a perfect dog but he was loved and loved us back, especially my husband.  He will be missed.