Buddy, my family’s cocker spaniel, is no longer in pain. I stayed, patting his head while the vet gave him the injection. When Buddy breathed his last, I kissed him on the nose and walked out, not bothering to hide my tears from the vet, my mum waiting in the reception, or the nurse.
Buddy came to our family as a young adult from Shenton Park Dog Refuge, he had been given the name Forrest, but no one knew his history. Buddy was an overweight bundle of anxiety. I had always thought that he came from a family who loved him, but due to sickness or circumstances, could not spend much time with him, and attempted to compensate by feeding him more. After the passing of Dasha, who we had from a puppy, I honestly thought I would never bond again with another dog with the same intensity. That idea dissolved as soon as I saw Buddy. he trotted over to me, whimpering softly, demanding love and attention. Buddy soon learned to associate me with walks, Buddy stayed anxious, but soon had everyone he met, including some neighbourhood children, wrapped around his paws. He often crawled up on my dad’s lap to fall asleep, only waking when he knew his dinner was around the corner.
A year ago, Buddy started needing coaxing to go for walks, and his anxiety seemed to be getting worse. A month before the fateful vet visit, I couldn’t get him to go for walks at all. I would lay down on the floor with him, patting him, just to make sure he knew I was there, and cared for him still. When he was not sleeping, he would be walking around the house, looking confused, often bumping into things. In the last week, he gave up eating.
On the last day, I received a call from my brother, and raced straight to the vet after work to meet Mum and Buddy at the vets. Buddy refused the treat the lovely nurse offered him. When we saw the vet, Buddy moved listlessly around the room, looking confused and unsteady. The prognosis was bad, while efforts could be made to extend his life, he was a very old dog, and the end result may just be extending his suffering. The decision was made, as horrible as it was.
I’ll always remember the happier days, my beautiful boy.
Adrian's Got The Moose 