Monday, October 20, 2008

Heavy Hearts

It's with heavy hearts that we had to put our beloved Lab Dewey to sleep this afternoon after a long battle with severe spinal arthritis and kidney disease. We'd hoped, by changing medicines, to somehow buy him a bit more time but it wasn't to be and there were no options left. My criteria for euthanasia was when he could no longer enjoy life but it becomes a burden for him it was time to stop. His tail was always going even on bad days but not so this AM so I knew it was time. He basically lost the use of his hind legs from the spinal arthritis nerve compression so he couldn't get up. We're thankful for the 13 wonderful years we had him and the knowledge that he is no longer suffering. All he ever wanted was to be with us.

True to his breed, he was obsessed with retrieving and would fetch anything you could throw. Even as his health failed, the spark was still there and his eyes would light up when you picked up his retriever dummy or ball. I still recall him retrieving an empty Clorox jug that was larger than him the day we brought him home as a little pup. We'll miss him greatly.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

They say a dog is "man's best friend" and so often becomes part of the family. I know you will miss him so very much while yet remembering all the many joys you shared. My heart is with you!