We adopted Buddy in late June 2012. He was a rescue dog, and my first glimpse of him was at the Manahawkin Animal Shelter. He was sitting quietly very close to a female volunteer and his sad face led me to ask about him. It seemed that he had been found on the street in Barnegat and had been in the shelter for 3 months. Our granddaughter, Emily, was with us and she wanted us to adopt a small dog she fancied. We considered her choice, but Buddy's little sad face remained in my heart and we adopted him. There was no fee because he was an old dog, between eight and ten years old.
Our first weeks with our new dog were a little rocky. He was terrified of thunder storms and fourth of July fireworks. He would not let his picture be taken...we think he was afraid of the flash. If we held up our phone, he hid. Any beeping caused him to hide. He ducked and flinched if we reached out to pet him. And he formed an attachment to me, following me from room to room. His teeth were infected, so we had eight of them removed which made him much more comfortable and greatly improved his breath.
We had a newly purchased RV and were about to take some trips. Unfortunately, we soon discovered that Buddy did not like either riding in a car or an RV. We hoped that he would learn to relax in the RV, but he remained anxious while driving for a long time. When we eventually bought a larger RV with a sofa, he seemed to be much happier. He did enjoy all the new smells at the various campsites and loved exploring each one.
We learned very quickly that Buddy was a talented escape artist. He would slip his collar and run away. He would open gates and run away. He would open doors of rooms that had been shut to keep him in or out. Buddy soon claimed the sofa as his private bed. He wanted to curl up in the corner of the sofa where Joe always sat. They were always fighting over that space. If Joe got up, Buddy would quickly claim the spot.
The years passed and we traveled all over the country. Buddy had cataracts and his vision slowly got worse. As did his hearing. This past year his mobility became limited. He could no longer jump up on the sofa, so we bought him a cushy doggie bed. He slept with us every night, but now he needed to be boosted up on the bed.
We took our last trip together this winter, to Florida. We stayed in one place for a month, so Buddy was happy. When he wanted to get on the bed, he barked and put his front feet on the bed. Our sofa was very low and with a lot of effort, he was able to get up on it. He started having trouble getting down the two steps in the RV that led to outside. We had started him on pain pills, and he never complained, but he took some falls off the steps.
This summer, Buddy became completely blind. He started falling on the steps and even in the house. We tried a sling to get him safely down the steps. We have reverse living; twenty seven steps from the living room to the outdoors. He became fearful of the steps and balked at going down them. He could not see, and he was frightened. We knew that we could not continue much longer, but could not face letting him go.
We increased the pain medicine and saw some temporary improvement. In typical Buddy style, when he fell inside and could not get up, he barked to tell us to help him. We would encourage him to get in his bed; he did sleep a lot, but also liked to wander around and kept falling. We kept picking him up.
And so, Buddy took his last ride to the vet. We were taken to a special room with a blanket on the floor. I sat on the floor and Buddy stretched out on the blanket. He was not nervous or anxious. He lay there, closing his eyes, waiting for whatever was to come. I began to cry. He raised his head and licked my face all over. Joe was standing in the corner, tears streaming down his face.
The vet came in; we talked a bit and Buddy lay calmly on the blanket. I think he sensed what was happening. He was not afraid. The procedure was done: I hope the last he heard was my saying "Good boy" and the last thing he felt was my hand petting him.
Crying and sobbing, we left the Animal Hospital with a leash but no dog. It is now a few days later, and we are still teary. We keep expecting to seem him come into the room. We know that only time will heal our sorrow; we know that Buddy is at peace.
Here are some of the highlights of our five years together.
Our first weeks with our new dog were a little rocky. He was terrified of thunder storms and fourth of July fireworks. He would not let his picture be taken...we think he was afraid of the flash. If we held up our phone, he hid. Any beeping caused him to hide. He ducked and flinched if we reached out to pet him. And he formed an attachment to me, following me from room to room. His teeth were infected, so we had eight of them removed which made him much more comfortable and greatly improved his breath.
We had a newly purchased RV and were about to take some trips. Unfortunately, we soon discovered that Buddy did not like either riding in a car or an RV. We hoped that he would learn to relax in the RV, but he remained anxious while driving for a long time. When we eventually bought a larger RV with a sofa, he seemed to be much happier. He did enjoy all the new smells at the various campsites and loved exploring each one.
We learned very quickly that Buddy was a talented escape artist. He would slip his collar and run away. He would open gates and run away. He would open doors of rooms that had been shut to keep him in or out. Buddy soon claimed the sofa as his private bed. He wanted to curl up in the corner of the sofa where Joe always sat. They were always fighting over that space. If Joe got up, Buddy would quickly claim the spot.
The years passed and we traveled all over the country. Buddy had cataracts and his vision slowly got worse. As did his hearing. This past year his mobility became limited. He could no longer jump up on the sofa, so we bought him a cushy doggie bed. He slept with us every night, but now he needed to be boosted up on the bed.
We took our last trip together this winter, to Florida. We stayed in one place for a month, so Buddy was happy. When he wanted to get on the bed, he barked and put his front feet on the bed. Our sofa was very low and with a lot of effort, he was able to get up on it. He started having trouble getting down the two steps in the RV that led to outside. We had started him on pain pills, and he never complained, but he took some falls off the steps.
This summer, Buddy became completely blind. He started falling on the steps and even in the house. We tried a sling to get him safely down the steps. We have reverse living; twenty seven steps from the living room to the outdoors. He became fearful of the steps and balked at going down them. He could not see, and he was frightened. We knew that we could not continue much longer, but could not face letting him go.
We increased the pain medicine and saw some temporary improvement. In typical Buddy style, when he fell inside and could not get up, he barked to tell us to help him. We would encourage him to get in his bed; he did sleep a lot, but also liked to wander around and kept falling. We kept picking him up.
And so, Buddy took his last ride to the vet. We were taken to a special room with a blanket on the floor. I sat on the floor and Buddy stretched out on the blanket. He was not nervous or anxious. He lay there, closing his eyes, waiting for whatever was to come. I began to cry. He raised his head and licked my face all over. Joe was standing in the corner, tears streaming down his face.
The vet came in; we talked a bit and Buddy lay calmly on the blanket. I think he sensed what was happening. He was not afraid. The procedure was done: I hope the last he heard was my saying "Good boy" and the last thing he felt was my hand petting him.
Crying and sobbing, we left the Animal Hospital with a leash but no dog. It is now a few days later, and we are still teary. We keep expecting to seem him come into the room. We know that only time will heal our sorrow; we know that Buddy is at peace.
Here are some of the highlights of our five years together.
