I'm going to start by saying that this post might be just a little bit sad for some. If you haven't ever had a dog from puppy till "old man" you probably will think that I am lame, but oh well. Also, if you saw the movie "Marley and Me" and didn't cry this post will be dumb.
For the last few months my dog Moose hasn't been doing very good. He turned 11 in December. He has had really bad arthritis for quite a while but it had gotten really bad. He was staying in the garage at my parents where it was a little bit warmer. It all started about last Monday. I went over to visit and went out to see my dog. He looked really bad. I petted him for a little while and knew that he only had a few days left. He hadn't been eating and I could feel his bones starting to stick out. Well I went over Friday to get some stuff and to see my dog again. No one was home so I went out to the garage to see the dog. He was terrible. I petted him and talked to him for a few minutes. He was trying to stand up but couldn't. He couldn't even raise his head. He would try and it would just smack down on the ground. I went in the house to grab a few things, came back out and he was gone. I had only been in the house for 10 minutes. I truly believe that my poor, old dog had just been waiting for me to come say goodbye. My dad had already dug a grave in anticipation of this event. I went and got Annie then came back to help my dad bury him. We buried him with a dead duck and an old decoy. It was a really sad event for me but I'm glad that Moose is out of his pain.
Now for a little reminiscing. Moose was by no means the best hunting dog ever. He had hearing problems his whole life. We tried all kinds of things on him because we thought he just wasn't listening. He never marked a bird his entire life, but he rarely didn't find a bird that we sent him after. I don't think I'll ever have another dog that will be as good of a friend in the blind though. Moose would sit there with you for hours, in icy water, and never whine. He would rest his head on your leg and just stare, waiting for a shot to be fired. He walked a lot of hard miles but was always excited to do it again. I will really miss him but I really enjoyed the hundreds of hours we spent together.
Here are a few pictures that I have of the old dog and me over the last 11 years....
I really had tears rolling down my cheeks. I'm sorry for your loss. This post was a good tribute :)
ReplyDeleteI cried when I heard that Moose had passed on, I cried when I heard that you were there, I cried when I heard about the ducks that you buried him with, I cried when I knew that you had cried, and Yes I cried when I watched Marley and Me! And No I didn't think this post was dumb, I loved it! I am so sorry for your loss, but so happy for your memories!
ReplyDeleteYou're right about him not being the best huntingdog ever (he was still good), but he was the BEST DOG EVER!!! I can't see if my spelling is correct through my tears. We will miss him.
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