Our “OG” pack is now gone.
Let me go back. About 14 years ago we had a brother and sister mini-doxie and a female akita. I was training the girl doxie for the WeinerNationals because she was a speed demon. Low and unlike most dogs ran straight line. About 11 years ago, Cad Jr and I come home and the hallway looked like an abbatoir. A fox had gotten in, killed the sister and tried to carry her away. It was clear she put up a fight. Mrs Cad came home and most of the blood had been cleaned up. Soon after we got a blue heeler and about 6 years ago we took in her brother as a rescue. About 3 years ago our akita died from breast cancer.
And that takes us to six months ago with our male doxie and the brother and sister heelers. Mrs Cad found our doxie at the bottom of the stairs awashed in his own feces. She cleaned him up and was holding him when I got home from work. He was bleeding out his anus and was paralyzed. We made arrangements to take him for a merciful release and informed the kids where to meet us but less than two minutes after I started driving he died in her arms. Two and a half months ago, our female heeler was diagnose with stomach cancer. There was no saving her but the vet recommended we give her steroids to ease her suffering. It worked enough that she had 5 more days of being a dog meaning some energy and appetite enough to sit with us. By the way, if you’re curious what the phrase “being a dog” means in these circumstances, it is a phrase I use that refers to Vladimir Yazdovsky, a trainer of Laika who went into Sputnik 2. He knew she would die in space so to do something nice for her, the night before the launch he took her to play with his kids so she could have one last night “of being a dog”.
Since then her brother, the last of the OGs was grieving. I’d come home and he would be laying outside where she used to lay just staring into space. He had breathing problems and hip issues but he rapidly deteriorated after she died. We had a new puppy and sometimes they’d play but it was clear that like humans, the intense grief he was feeling was taking a physical toll. He’d try to climb up the stairs and would occasionally fall. The last couple of days he couldn’t even go up the one short step to come back into the house from the back yard and I had to carry him in. If you are thinking of Little Ann in Where the Red Fern Grows, you nailed it. We took him and our puppy to the dog park and he was like his old self. Trotting around and saying hi to other dogs. Yes, his last full day was him “being a dog”. The next day I brought him inside when I woke up and I knew it was his last day. He just laid there, his wheezing getting worse. I petted him and sat with him and after a few hours he was gone.
Fuck! I’m near tears writing this thinking they’re all gone. My kids grew up with them. We traveled all over Colorado on trips. The hiking and streams they played in while we ate a picnic. All just memories now.
I’m so sorry. Will be holding you all in the light.
So terribly sorry to hear this. The loss of a good dog is is a tragedy only surpassed in scale by the greatness of their life.
I’m so sorry. Losing pets is awful. I hope memories of your time together brings you comfort.
I’m sorry for your loss.
You gave them a really good life.
Uggg! I lost my favorite dog in a tragic accident just over a year ago (still tore up over that) and have 2 of the crew with three feet in the grave right now. I don’t look forward to even waking up anymore. But I guess I gotta keep the last two happy and healthy. I didn’t ask for any of this, and I ain’t doing it again.
But, Damn! I like em. Dachshunds are the best. Paws down.
When I went in for my checkup last year, the nurse wanted to do a diabetes test, I said I do it at home by counting my toes in the morning. She looked at me puzzled so I explained I have a doxie and if I wake up in the morning with all 10 toes I know I don’t have diabetes.
She was not amused.
I am so sorry for your loss. You gave them a wonderful life.
I’m so sorry. You gave them an amazing life with so much love and it sounds like adventure too. The Best Dog Life Ever.
I know how heavy your heart is. We lost our two boys within 3 weeks of each other. They were only 7 yo. I know it’s different for everyone, but we started rebuilding the pack 2 months later. The house was way too quiet and my heart needed to love a dog and to have a dog’s love again. Now we have three and the house is like a 3-ringed circus.
My sincere condolences on your loss. May you find peace in knowing as much as you chose them, they chose you.May you find peace.
Not really sure why I’m bumping this with the epilogue. This happened about a year ago.
Our new puppy that we had gotten while the heelers were alive was really screwed up by the situation. He would stand at the top of the stair and just stare as the sister and later the brother died. He was a rescue so I don’t know about his previous life but the passing of his pack members had a bad psychological impact on him,. He needed another dog around while we were at work so we went to the pound and brought him with us to help choose his support dog. The first dog we all met was a larger dog and just a big ol’ friendly lunk. I had already named him Hoss after the Bonanza character but nope, Teddy was having none of it and bipped his nose. Next came a little thing called Shooting Star (since changed). She was no bigger than a fist and could only bury herself against Mrs Cad for comfort. You see, her sister and her were brought in off of wandering the street and her sister was very outgoing while Shooting Star was a wallflower so her sister was adopted immediately and she wasn’t; Shooting Star had lost her entire pack and was alone. Mrs Cad set her down and Teddy went over and started sniffing her saying, “Hey, how’s it going?” I immediately knew she was coming home with us. Within 15 minutes after we got her home, her and Teddy were running around, playing with each other and have been two peas in a pod ever since.
Thank you for the happy story!