Another Loss

As I get older each loss gets harder.  It’s not just the fact that I am aging (65 years old put nicely).  It also is the fact that each loss brings up the cumulative losses that have preceded it.  At 65 that is a formidable list.

Today we had our beautiful 11+ year old scottie euthanized.  We watched him go downhill as new symptoms developed in addition to his original bladder cancer.  In the last two days those symptoms presented some possible emergency  scenarios we did not want to put any of us through.  Then this morning as I watched him wake up I saw very little of the old Fergus spark left.  It had been replaced by exhaustion and more discomfort overnight.

Luckily we found a veterinary clinic a few months ago we really like.  We arrived there with Fergus today to be shown immediately to a special room with living room furniture in it in addition to the examining table.  After a short wait we were told by the vet what we already knew – it was time.

The weeks leading up to this excruciating decision were filled with stress and tears and sleepless nights.  But there is a certain relief in feeling we did the right thing by our beloved pet.  We had some time to say goodbye over the last few weeks and pamper him even more that he was already used to being pampered.  When it comes to impending death it doesn’t get much better than that.

He is buried on our property along with the 3 other scotties who preceded him out of this life. Next spring a memorial garden will enhance the area which is behind a huge rhododendron bush under two big redwoods and a few feet from a creek.

R.I.P. Fergus Maxwell the Bruce – happy go lucky friend to all and most loving companion.