Today was an unplanned trip to the vet. Our little dog had been going downhill health-wise for awhile. Sometime over the past few months, he started having some back pain and after several visits to the vet, it was apparent that things weren't going to improve. We could manage the pain with drugs and prednisone, but ultimately, he'd need to be euthanized. By Wed. it became apparent that the time was rapidly approaching, and I made an appointment for this coming Monday. However, my son asked me to postpone as he didn't feel he could deal with it prior to finals week at college. By today, my wife and I could not stand to see the struggles our dog was experiencing and we realized we couldn't wait. We contacted my son, drove to a weekend clinic, and the dog was humanely euthanized. My wife and I were with him at the end, my son waited in the car. Afterward we hugged and had some good family time.
We got this dog almost 15 years ago as a birthday present for my son. At the time, my son came into our bedroom every night for weeks crying "I want a dog".
We arranged to pickup a Bichon Frise on my son's 8th birthday. The day of his birthday, the breeders called to let us know they simply couldn't part with the last dog in the litter. We were crushed but we weren't going to let our son be disappointed. We pulled out the paper and rapidly searched for the first small dog we could find. When an 8 year old is expecting a puppy for his birthday, any dog, yes any dog will do.
We found a Schipperke-Poodle mix near Camano island and made arrangements to visit that day. My son selected the loner in the litter. A cute little black puppy.
He reminded my son of one of the Starwars Ewoks named Wicket and so "Wicket" he became. Wicket was an amazing little guy. He was very fast and could turn on a dime. He used to love playing with a much bigger black lab in the neighborhood. He couldn't outrun him but he could outmaneuver him. He was also an amazing jumper. While he was only about 14lbs and maybe 14" off the ground, he could leap over the back of the couch without touching it.
He had his little quirks. He was a sock stealer. He loved to have a piece of my wife near him and would lay with his head on one of her socks when he stole one. In his younger days, he used to have one 15minute period per day of complete wackiness. He'd run around the house a lightning speed, bouncing off the furniture and hoping you would chase him. After he got this out of his system, he was calm for the rest of the day. He loved to be outside. He had a dog house but he'd never use it. For some strange reason, he would rather lay on the ground in the cold rain than be in a warm house with no one around.
However, when we were home, he'd be at our feet. He was a very social dog. If we put food down for him just before leaving, he usually wouldn't touch it until we got home. He didn't like to eat alone. Often he'd carry a mouth full of kibble from his bowl into the family room and eat it there while we were watching TV. He had to be close while he was eating.
When you were hurting, sad, depressed or just plain bothered by something, he knew. He'd come by and stay close. He probably helped each of us through multiple tough times just by being there and being friendly. He was always happy to see me and sad to see me go. Now I too am sad to see him go.
