ExLimey
Cruising the blueline
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2001
- Posts
- 2,707
My parents had to put my boyhood dog to sleep this week. I hadn't seen him since I left home 7 years ago. He was 20 (we think).
He was a Corgi mix, a stray that found his way down our driveway one summer day. There is still some debate as to whether or not I went out and "found" him or if he actually did run down the driveway. My Mum doubts the validity of my account to this day, but me and the dog were the only ones home so we're the only ones that know the truth. He was an extremely lucky dog, if the humane society number hadn't have been busy, they probably would have come and gotten him before my folks got home.
He was a sight to behold, scrawny, flea-ridden, with a deformed back leg, and only about 6 months old at the time.
I have lots of fond memories. I was 10 at the time and my older brother and I used to rough-house with him. We wore those thick work gloves so he could bite our hands and not hurt us. We soon found out that he thought that every time we wore those gloves was playtime, even when we were actually trying to pick up leaves etc in the yard (that's real hard to do with a 30 lb dog grabbing your hands).
I also remember the time the lizard latched onto his lip and wouldn't let go and the time that the squirrel got sick of being chased and decided to chase him instead! And the time that he ate a bee and my parents ended up having to take him to the "war-zone" to the emergency vet in the middle of the night when his face swelled up.
He was incredibly loyal and very protective of the family (this is a Corgi trait, but may have been amplified by us saving him). His main enemies were the UPS man and the mail lady. He even knew the sound of the mail jeep and the UPS truck and would go nuts if they got within two blocks of our house.
It's a little difficult to accept, since the last time I saw him he was very much alive, but I know that his quality of life the last year had severely diminished. It's a little easier being 2000 miles away and not having to deal with it in person, but it does remind me that I will someday have to deal with the same situation with my dog here.
For some reason I'm reminded of a line from Shawshank Redemption:
"...but most of all I miss my friend..."
He was a Corgi mix, a stray that found his way down our driveway one summer day. There is still some debate as to whether or not I went out and "found" him or if he actually did run down the driveway. My Mum doubts the validity of my account to this day, but me and the dog were the only ones home so we're the only ones that know the truth. He was an extremely lucky dog, if the humane society number hadn't have been busy, they probably would have come and gotten him before my folks got home.
He was a sight to behold, scrawny, flea-ridden, with a deformed back leg, and only about 6 months old at the time.
I have lots of fond memories. I was 10 at the time and my older brother and I used to rough-house with him. We wore those thick work gloves so he could bite our hands and not hurt us. We soon found out that he thought that every time we wore those gloves was playtime, even when we were actually trying to pick up leaves etc in the yard (that's real hard to do with a 30 lb dog grabbing your hands).
I also remember the time the lizard latched onto his lip and wouldn't let go and the time that the squirrel got sick of being chased and decided to chase him instead! And the time that he ate a bee and my parents ended up having to take him to the "war-zone" to the emergency vet in the middle of the night when his face swelled up.
He was incredibly loyal and very protective of the family (this is a Corgi trait, but may have been amplified by us saving him). His main enemies were the UPS man and the mail lady. He even knew the sound of the mail jeep and the UPS truck and would go nuts if they got within two blocks of our house.
It's a little difficult to accept, since the last time I saw him he was very much alive, but I know that his quality of life the last year had severely diminished. It's a little easier being 2000 miles away and not having to deal with it in person, but it does remind me that I will someday have to deal with the same situation with my dog here.
For some reason I'm reminded of a line from Shawshank Redemption:
"...but most of all I miss my friend..."
