A DOG’S PERSPECTIVE

Hey there! I bet you never thought you would be reading something from a dog , but I had a few things to say before I leave, and it’s important for me to express my gratitude to the greatest family every.

I must admit, the past 6 months have been tough. It’s not like I had Covid, but every morning I wake up, my back is killing me, my legs are stiff, it’s tough to squat, if you know what I mean, climbing up these steps is becoming a real chore, and my head aches bad. But none of this matters, because living with the pain is all worthwhile because my final days are with the family I love.

My family. No dog could be luckier than me. It all started about 12 years ago. There I was, playing in a yard with myself, because all my brothers and sisters were adopted by other families, and boy was I lonely. I was the runt in the litter and no one seemed to want me. But that day, a car approached, and then stopped in the yard. Out from the car came what looked to be like a nice family. As they got closer, I realized it was love at first sight. They picked me up, rubbed my belly, chased me around the yard and soon I heard those magic words, “we’ll take her.” It was like I died and went to heaven.

They took me home, and when we arrived, I realized I was in paradise. A great yard for me to run in, a bed in every room for me to sleep in and my new parents and a new brother and sister to play with. Let me tell you a little about them.

First, my brother and sister. They were so much fun. They often went away, so that was sad, but when they came home, they took such good care of me. My brother always loved rolling around with me, kicking soccer balls at me, and he even gave me his vibrating massage chair to use when he wasn’t home. And even though his second love, (I was his first) was allergic to me, it did not matter to him. He continued to hug me no matter what the outcome. And my sister. She always let me sleep in her room, and when mom and dad were not looking, she let me climb on the bed. She had hundreds of stuffed animals that I loved to snuggle with, and sometimes I would hide them around the house, chew them, but it never made her angry at me. One day, she came home with 2 little people for me to play with. They were even smaller than me. But I knew they needed tender loving care, and I let them do what they wanted to me. I wish I had more time to play with them.

Then there is Mom. What an amazing person. They say that dogs give unconditional love, but Mom broke the mold. She forever loved me, fed me, washed me, played with me, and in this past year, did everything in her power to keep my pain away. She gave me magic pills and “fairy dust” which usually kept my headaches away. When my legs stopped working, she would feed me with her hands until I was feeling better. There was no end to how she cared for me all the time and I will forever remember how she made my final year as comforting as she could.

And finally there was Dad. He was the disciplinarian. He always yelled when I would eat the woodwork, pee in the house, destroy the blinds and whatever mischief I would get into. But out of all of them, he was the biggest softy. I could get him to do anything for me. His specialty was giving me treats. All I had to do was to limp over to the refrigerator, and there he came to deliver the goods. I never liked when he put the electric collar on me, but I know that it was for my own good. But I had the last laugh, as I always made him carry me down the driveway when we would take walks. I knew I could not get shocked, but why walk, when he would carry me. Like Mom, I could tell that his love for me was endless.

So that’s my family. One of which I would never trade for a second. And today is yet another day, waking up to not feeling very well. Mom tried to feed me, but unlike me, I have no appetite. I go outside to my favorite place, the deck. I suddenly hear Mom’s car start up, and usually I get up to say goodbye to her, but today, I have no energy. Then I see Dad walking around the house with his little shovel and plastic bag, cleaning up after me. I watch him from a distance, and I do not think he even knows I am here on the deck. So I stay on the deck, looking out onto my yard, watching my bird and squirrel friends doing their morning chores. I am getting more tired by the minute, and my body is aching me. Perhaps it’s that time. I hope Dad comes back to pet me because I haven’t seen him at all this morning. Oh well, I am not sure I can wait any longer. I look around, smile at the great memories I had throughout my life on this deck, with this family, and close my eyes for the final time. This is the best way to go, because they know how much I loved them and I know that they loved me. I only hope they are not sad, because our lives together will never be forgotten, and like my feelings when we first met, I feel like I have died and went to heaven.