Not political. Warning! Not a sad story, but if you love dogs, you may cry.
Now some background.
My wife and I have 4 rescue dogs. Jack, male 10 years old, oldest by a month, 63 lbs by DNA part Harrier (harehound), Norwegian Elkhound, Scotish Terrier and Fox Terrier. Sweet, protective and friendly. The story is about him. Bella, female 10 years old 58 lbs, by DNA 1/2 Australian Cattle dog,1/4 lab 1/4 mix. Maggie, female 8 years old, 48 lbs, by DNA Border Collie, Dalmation, Lab, and American Staffordshire Terrier. Lillie (our trouble maker) female, 6 years old, 24 lbs at least 1/2 Cataoula Leopard dog, rest unknown.
Jack was found on the street starving in February as a puppy. Was in animal control for a week and looked like a concentration camp survivor as you could see every bone in his body. We got him on a Friday, and he was to be out down the next Monday. The next Monday he got Parvo. He survived. About when a Year and 1/2 old we noticed he seemed to be in pain. Arthritis. Now treated. About year 1/2 ago we noticed his right rear leg enlarging around the knee and him favoring it. Thought it was a bone spur. Took him to the vet. Cancer. Vet thought it was bone cancer, and have him 3-6 months to live if we did not have it removed, 6-9 if we did. We had it removed the day after Christmas last year. Sent sample for biopsy. Cartilage cancer. Much slower spreading, and rarely fatal. Vet have him 3-6 years to live if he did not get it all. That means he would live from 12 to 15 years.
Now for the actual story. Jack normally sleeps on an arthritic bed and has difficulty going up steps… It is hard on him. When my wife is resting in bed upstairs trying to sleep despite her pain, and I am upstairs working from home, he almost always is waiting at the foot of the stairs in the hardwood floor. Recently, when he did not heard anything from upstairs for while, he came up. Old Victorian house. Somehow he got by the gate at the bottom of the stairs. 4 steps to first landing. 7 to the next landing and 6 more to the top. He was 2 steps from the top when my wife heard him. He was wagging when she went out and looked like he was smiling. He’s the only dog we have that can look that way. He seemed so glad to see her and pleased with himself. How can you not love a dog like that? It had to hurt him. Good boy!
4 replies on “Touching story”
“That means he would live from 12 to 15 years.”
Which, you being dog people, you realize that it’s rare to get much more than that out of that size dog under the best of circumstances.
Make the most of him, the clock’s ticking. And give him extra snuggles for me.
Jack is a fighter. If any dog that size can make 15, he can. We love all our babies as much as we can. I dread thinking of losing any of them.
That’s a very sweet story! Thank you for sharing.
Oddly, while reading this a cloud of dust must’ve blown though my room, had to wipe my eyes.
The devotion of a dog is something special.