My wife and I were forced into a tough decision today. This morning we lost our 14 year old pup. The co-pilot to everything we have done since our marriage. If anyone has ever owned such a high strung dog as a Belgian Malinois then you know you can hate them as much as you love them. At the end of each day the Love outweighs the onry actions of such a great dog. Our best friend Kyra will be missed very much. She will have left a hole in our hearts that can never be filled. Until we meet again my good dog Kyra you will be missed beyond words. The main point is Love your pups hard. You never know when their last ride could be.
For those interested in details:
We have been fighting tumor growths for almost 2 years along both of her rear legs. Last month we took a vacation to Michigan for 2 weeks. When we returned she had a new growth on her right rear leg that was golf ball sized. The vet diagnosed this as cancerous. Up until this point multiple had been benign and some removed. After 4 weeks total the mass had grown from the outside of the leg into the interior of the leg and thru to the outside of the inside of the leg. This is the fastest growth she has ever had. Last night after coming home from work my wife and I found our pup with the mass (baseball size at this point) to have ruptured. We are not sure if she sat on it wrong, bumped it against something, or just popped. The energy of our pup has never skipped a beat. Even last night she was happy and mobile. We were able to see the vet this morning and after much discussion decided it was time. There are so many emotions wrapped up in this bottle. My wife and I adopted this pup 1 month after our marriage. She was 14 years, 3 months, and 6 days old today. Her mind has never stopped running. Even in moments when her body wouldn't carry her anymore. Her mind never stopped. She was a joy to our lives that will never be replaced.
I could have written this about Bear, my black standard poodle; he got me thru my divorce. He was my bestest buddy ever, losing him CRUSHED me and, because of that, I could never own another. 😥
Do NOT try to read this if your pet is ailing - I had read it years before I had to make that decision and I held him in my arms when the vet gave him his last shot.
A Dog's Prayer
Treat my kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in the entire world is more grateful for kindness than this loving heart of me.
Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I would lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do
Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.
When it is cold and wet, please take me inside, for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements .. and I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth - though had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land ... for you are my god, and I am you devoted worshiper.
Keep my bowl filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food, that I may stay well to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.
And, beloved master, should the Great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest ... and I will love you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands.
I haven't been able to read this in its entirety since his passing - tears running down my face like I lost Bear yesterday.
