An associate shared this heart-rending story with me about his pet and I'll repeat it here in his own words.
I had the most lovely Rotweiler female dog. She was about two years old when I bought her. She had a strong personality, but was sweet, loving and affectionate to me. I named her Snoopy. She was a career watch dog. I kept her on a long tether line attached to a strong steel post. Every day she would go for a long walk with me.
When I moved to a more rural setting she had her own fenced off yard, to play in. Life was good. She loved to go for walks on the mountain side behind where we lived. Snoopy's world was one of smell. She loved to go sniffing in a ground squirrel's burrow. She would spend a lot of time digging up the hole. The dirt would go flying behind her, as she became a dirty, soil covered mess. She would dig until tired, and even then it was difficult, to pull her away from the hole.
Snoopy was a very intelligent dog. I talked to her all the time. She seemed to understand a great deal of the English language and would get all excited if I asked her if she wanted to go for a drive in the car. Then she would saunter off to the door, and wait for me to go out with her. She did much the same thing if I asked her, if she wanted to go for a walk. Snoopy would gesture with her head and paws to communicate. Some times it was almost like we were psychically linked. I would wake up at night from a deep sleep, when she wanted to go out side.
Snoopy had thick black and brown hair. Twice a year she would shed her coat. The heaviest hair loss was in spring, when her winter coat was shed. The lighter hair loss came in fall as she prepared to put on her winter coat. I would try to comb her every day when she was shedding hair. Brushing her hair yielded bunches of her black fur so at this time of year brushing her coat became a major element of her pet care routine.
Even though we were very active, taking mountain walks each day, Snoopy, started putting on a lot of weight. She was so heavy, I could not have lifted her. She was about the size of a small sheep.
Off and on she would have stomach problems. I noticed she was developing a pot belly. She would eat a lot of grass on days when she didn't feel well. Sometimes I would help her, by picking the blades of grass for her, and then feed them to her. She was a strong dog. She could pull me along behind, dragging me holding her leash.
As time went on she continually had stomach problems, separated by days when she felt better. The size of her abdomen also grew larger. Each day we still faithfully went on her walk. She would come to me when she thought it was time to go walking, and remind me that she wanted to go. As time went on her rest periods during our walks, grew more frequent and longer. Some times we did about half and half, walking and sitting. I would carry a water bottle for Snoopy so she could drink. She always became thirsty on her walks.
Snoopy started developing tumours on the out side of her fur coat. From time to time, I checked her coat and noted she was developing more tumours, on her sides and shoulders. I suspected the large mass in her abdomen was also a tumour.
Sometimes her food seemed to make her feel sick. In her last week she found a bunch of bird bones in the forest and insisted on eating them. She really enjoyed eating those bones. I knew her days were numbered and did not want to deprive her of any last pleasures. The day after she ate the bones she felt really sick. She didn't eat her food for a couple of days after that. Instead she went looking for grass, when we were out walking. In a few days she felt better again. All the grass we picked together, must have helped. She sure ate a lot of grass. She had a few last good days. Snoopy really enjoyed life on her good days. She enjoyed going exploring so much, on the mountain side. On her good days one could almost forget, that she had a growing problem.
Snoopy became sick again and this time couldn't keep down food or water. I would try to give her little drinks, hoping her stomach would keep the water down. She just threw it up, a short time later. On her last morning I woke up, hearing Snoopy coughing violently. I ran to help her. She was in a life and death struggle to breath. I tried to clear her throat, swatting her on the back of the neck. It was too late. She went unconscious and died in my arms. I was heart broken. My best friend had died. Her departure ended her cancer, but left me lost, with a gigantic hole in my life. Snoopy was the best part of my life.
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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Pet Care
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