CW: pet death
My dog Pixel passed today. He had acute kidney failure and there was nothing else to do. I’d like to tell you a bit about Pixel, if you’ll bear with me.
Pixel was a street dog. He was captured on the streets of Pittsburg, CA, and had obviously been on his own for awhile. He was a middle-aged Chihuahua at the time, and about the most macho little dude you had ever met. Terrible coat, terrible teeth, and defensive and mean as the day is long. Following his capture he got neutered, and shipped off to the Pixie rescue organization in Portland, OR. We went to visit one day to look at a pug mix. The pug mix scared my 95 llb Swiss Mountain dog, so that wasn’t going to work. The rescue organization asked us what sorts of qualities we were looking for in a dog, and my son announced “Cuddling! The dog must love cuddling!” Shortly thereafter, Pixel was produced.
Pixel was named before we left the parking lot. We had Kona, the aforementioned Swiss Mountain dog, and Pooka, who was a Newfoundland. Chihuahuas seemed VERY small. Despite his size, Pixel was never intimidated by anything, even when he should have been. When the neighbor’s dog came under the fence, Pixel stood his ground despite getting bites on his face and head. The dog was a good-sized lab, so Pixel was thoroughly outmatched.
Pixel demonstrated his cuddling abilities as soon as we brought him home. We put him on my son’s bed, and Pixel started digging under the covers. He also promptly demonstrated his nest guarding tendencies by trying to rip my face off when I kissed my son good night. Fortunately for all of us, Pixel had very few teeth. It took years, but Pixel eventually gave up nest guarding against people. Against dogs and cats, he kept his belligerent ways until the end.
Pixel spent everyday with me while my son was at school. He wrestled with the big dogs, yelled at the neighbor’s dog through the fence, and cuddled like a champ. At night, he slept with my son.
I have a hard time imagining my life without him, and I feel so blessed that we had him.
Skritch your pets for me tonight.