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| Articles: Another obituary for yet another pet |
Posted by
bettie_x on Tuesday, December 04, 2001 - 04:02 AM PST
When I was about 16, five years ago, I walked out onto my porch to the sound of my wienerdog and our large mutt breed grate dane/lab mix making a huge fuss over something terribly exciting several yards away in the bushes at the edge of our driveway in the woods. Thinking they had cornered some poor little wild creature, or one of my cats, I threw on some shoes and jogged out to see what all the hubbub was, bub.
I shooed them back and peered into the bushes and found a badly injured half starved mutt cowering in a big overgrowth of briars.
I coaxed her out into the open, the other dogs calmed by now and more curious than defensive. She was horribly starved, cut up, and limping badly on her left hind leg. I carried her to the porch and fed her, knowing how much trouble I'd be in for bringing in yet another stray animal, but my heart bled for this poor injured hungry and lonley dog.
She was lemon yellow and had ears that stuck out straight to the sides. It was obvious she had been hit by a car, and that she had either been dropped off after having puppies, or had ran away searching for long gone children. She was so happy for affection, wagging her tail and a begging look for love.
I found out later my dad had seen her running around elsewhere, and had fed her too.
She became our new pet, my mother softened by her pathetic state, and gave her the horrid name of rudy.
About six months later, before we could have her fixed, she had a litter of 6 puppies, which she waited until the very day we got back from vacation to have.
She would duck and run if you picked up a broom, raised your voice, or heaven forbid, pick up the bb gun to chase off a coyote. It was obvious her previous owners had abused her. Being on her own for so long, she was accustomed to hunting, and we lost a baby goat and a cat to her habits, as well as several wild rabbits...but she was just doing what she thought she had to, and as angry as I was I couldn't hold it against her.
She was quite possibly the most loving animal I've ever had, just pleased to sit on your lap all day or lie on a rug in a warm house.
I moved out months ago, and didn't see her as much as I did before. I heard from my mom about a month ago that she was sick. No big deal, animals get sick.
I went to visit mom on friday, and she was talking about taking her in to the vet for the fourth time this month....she was throwing up and couldn't even keep water down, and couldn't walk up the steps. She told me to go see if she was in the garage, so I did, leaving her with my grandma and aunt.
I ventured in, called her name, noticed the little puddles of foamy vomit on the floor, thinking "oh, poor rudy"...when she poked her head through the door. Then walked in.
I screamed in horror at the sorrowful little skeleton that slowly walked through the door, tail wagging weakly. I could see the indentations between her backbones, she looked as if she had no muscles even, every bone with not an ounce on it, drool leaking from the sides of her mouth. She whined and wagged again, and I cried and picked her up and put her on the pillow, ran inside crying "why didn't you tell me she looked so bad?"
My grandma and aunt left, and I went to the garage with a towel to wrap her in to load her in the back of my mom's car. I could feel a once solid healthy body of a lab/mutt wasted away to 20 lbs of bone. I told my mom I couldn't be there if they had to put her to sleep, and she broke down, the woman of immaculate composure and facade, saying she really thought that's what they'd have to do, that they'd tried everything. I hugged her and cried and she said she was glad I came, because of anybody, she said I was the only one that would really understand. My mom tells me she loves me all the time, but it's the rare times she says things like that, and it meant all the world to me. Made me a little glad that I had stopped there first instead of going to my sister's on my way. That I could be there for my mom, and that of anybody she needed me, the oddball, the youngest of three girls who despite everything always felt left out.
She took her, and rudy did not come home.
The doctor was nice enough to "take a look" and found about the only thing left to her wasted body was a huge cancerous lymph node in her pelvis, and an enlarged liver. She had cancer, but though she had wasted away, was not in pain.
The comfort I have in this is that I was there for my mother, and that on that one day years ago, we were able to give a hopeless and love starved stray a good, happy, loving home to live out her last 5 years with a family who loved her, animals to play with, and room to run and be a free dog without anyone yelling, screaming, or beating her.
This is awfully sappy, but I had to get it off my chest.
She was a very very good dog.
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| Another obituary for yet another pet | Login/Create an account | 11 Comments |
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Re: Another obituary for yet another pet
by Schizo on Dec 04, 2001 - 04:15 AM
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I'm so sorry, Bettie. It sucks losing a pet. Poor little dog. I'm glad she wasn't in pain, though.
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Re: Another obituary for yet another pet
by whitedove (jaroddove@doveworksentertainment.com)
on Dec 04, 2001 - 09:58 AM
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For the longest time I would care for stray animals. I had nursed many animals back to health from various injuries. I found myself taming wild animals, domesticating them, and giving them to families that normally would not have had a pet. During all of this I had around 10 animals die in my arms. I can remember the names of all of them, what they looked like, what they did. When the last one died (was a friend of mine's cat) I stopped nursing animals. I felt as though I was no longer able to do it. Hoping one of the many children who I gave a pet to would take up my old tradition, I ventured away from the world of pets. I've come to find out that you mourn for animals that have a name.
I do not feel bad about Rudy though - if not for you Bettie, she would have probably died soon after the day you found her. You gave her a second chance at life; one which she was loved and cared for like she deserved. The last of her life was the best part - you made it possible.
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Re: Another obituary for yet another pet
by Ironboots on Dec 04, 2001 - 03:39 PM
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http://ranger.vr9.com/Flash.html
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This is sort of a tangental comment, but:
ALWAYS get your pets from the pound/kennel/puppy penetentiary/whatever-you-have-nearby. Its just cruel to go buy a animal at the store when there's a poor creature on death row at the pound...
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Re: Another obituary for yet another pet
by AutumnNight on Dec 06, 2001 - 08:25 PM
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Oh my Gosh....That was so sweet and sad. So bittersweet. Loved it. I almost started crying, and it has nothing to do with the long day i've had either. That was great. Sappy or not it was really nice.
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Re: Another obituary for yet another pet
by Dolorosa on Dec 10, 2001 - 09:32 AM
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It's weird, how in spite of how we all yearn secretly for some fantastic, blasphemous and whirlwind drama to engulf us...we are rarely, if ever prepared for the simplest of tragedies. I commend you for your heart, despite the world's remarkable capabilities of destroying such things...yours still stands. I do admit a small amount of alienation to the event myself, I'm somewhat stuck in the predator/prey mindset...but I have a very sincere feeling, that if I were in your situation, I would not have fared so well.
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Re: Another obituary for yet another pet
by bettie_x (strangersangel@hotmail.com)
on Dec 11, 2001 - 09:27 PM
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Horrible that a death is what brings you back to earth....
But I've always been attatched to animals, even when my puppy francis was hit by a truck and had to be put to sleep, and she was possibly the worst dog in the world, she was a young puppy (one of rudy's), psychotically high strung, spazzy, manic, got into everything, uncontrollable in every aspect, she bit, barked without stop, wouldn't listen to a word you said, ran off when you called, ripped shit up, jumped on you and visitors, pissed on the floor, and etc etc etc. When I came home my mom had her in the garage and she was just lying on a pillow, her back legs shattered, and she just looked at me with the most pitiful sad eyes as if to say "I never meant to be such a bad dog, I'm sorry, I knew I shouldn't be chasing trucks like you told me to over and over, I just couldn't help it, don't hate me." and I cried and cried and cried and petted her and kissed her face without being nipped at or bitten in a frenzy for the first time and told her that she was such a good good dog, and that I was sorry I couldn't make her behave, and told her over and over and over that I loved her and that she was good, as if to make up for all the crap we'd put each other through in a half an hour.
Even for all the crap that dog did, I still miss her and cry when I think of her....it makes me sad I wasn't able to do anything to make her listen and prevent the inevitable...
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Re: Another obituary for yet another pet
by oohp (oohp@gotik.nu)
on Dec 22, 2001 - 03:33 AM
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My sweet Tommy (Alsacian Shepard) died of heart or respiratory attack one month after a stomach (never feed highly liquid foods to big dogs in large quantities) operation. I called his name, he tried to get up and just fell down then died. He couldn't breathe. And my parents dumped him in a trash truck, conveniently enough! I would have burried my dog as I did with other pets (my backyard is really a pet cemetery) but NO, they had to put him in the trash truck!
And why do my pets always die in the morning and when I wake up I just see them dying, damnit, unable to do anything about it. It was the same with my previous kittie. I just found her poisoned lying in the bathroom. Then she started to have spasms and such. And of course, the vet was sleeping at 7 AM in the morning, not that he could've done anything.
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