Yesterday was one of the tougher days of my life. Sue and I had to put Otis, our Springer Spaniel, to sleep. After bringing him home as a 9 week old puppy, we received from him 12 years of unconditional love and affection. He provided us with comfort, companionship, and filled our home with joy after we become empty nesters.
It has been tough the last few months watching him become slower, severely arthritic, and less like the lively happy young dog we loved so well. All seemed well and he was behaving normally until Saturday nite. After dinner he laid down in his usual spot for a nap. Later his breathing became labored and he couldn't be convinced to move and was in fact incapable of doing so. He wouldn't even move for the offer of his favorite treats or the chance to go upstairs to bed. Sunday morning with no improvement we took him to the emergency animal clinic since our vet was closed. He came home after being diagnosed and treated for a high fever, some enlarged organs, and severe arthritis. He seemed improved and we spent the day with him, Yesterday morning he was just as sick as Saturday and we took him to our local vet. He had no energy and had to be assited in moving. All he wanted to do was lie down. After consultation and a poor prognoosis for the future we made our tough decision.
Sue and I decided that he had suffered long enough and that any attempts to prolong his life were selfishness on our part. He would have a future of nothing but pain and suffering and a diminished quality of life. At 1PM yesterday Otis passed from this world to enter a new one. We both stayed with him until the end and he passed away laying on the floor with us. We are both crushed and miss him badly. Sue started for work this morning, but came home. She isn't yet able to cope with the loss and I'm not much better. The pain will pass and life will go on, but we will both remember him fondly, and forever.
Thanks for reading this. The act of writing it is but a poor expression of my feelings, but it helps me cope. May God grant you the unconditional love of a pet.