In my last review, I mentioned how I was exhausted and depressed. It probably colored the review and made it a little dark. You see, I had to put my dog Bear down yesterday, and even before then I think I knew in my heart he was dying. His kidneys shut down and he was in so much pain…he had dropped 24 pounds in 1 week. Still, it hurts to see him go.
Bear was a red tri-color Australian Shepherd, who walked up to my roommate and I in a parking lot one day, already 8 months old. The owner walked over and told us to keep him. He had been abused by that owner, but we worked with him and he developed quite wonderfully. He loved to chase tennis balls and deer, and he could run like a greyhound. At 2 years old he ate some carpenter’s glue, which swelled up into a ball in his stomach. He was not expected to live, but after surgery the vet called him “the miracle dog.”
He would sit in the yard during the day, waiting until he saw the car come down the driveway, then bolt to the house and wait for the car to drive up. As I opened the door, he would put his front paws on the threshold and let me know he was happy I was home. It hit me particularly hard yesterday as I left work early. There was no one waiting there, watching the driveway, no one waiting to climb in the car.
Hound of Shadow, you will be missed…
