I’m
gone for a month & apparently no one can bear to be without me. (Hey, I had to start on an amusing statement
before the waterworks come.)
Unfortunately
on Tuesday April 11th, 2017 we said goodbye to one of our old timers
(no not Joe, he’s still around, I swear he’s just in the yard with the dogs). Hank P. passed away. He leaves behind his companion Francis aka
Frankie, his adoring family (seriously who makes t-shirts with their dogs on
them- I love it & I would too), all his doggie friends at Preferred Pet
Care, all of his two legged human friends at Preferred Pet Care, and basically
everyone who had the pleasure of meeting Hank.
This year we have had to say goodbye to many of our original crew dogs
from our old West Orange location, many of these dogs we have known for over a
decade!
At the start of the year we said goodbye to
our old lady husky mix Lizzie. Lizzie B
unfortunately lost her brother, Benny, the year before. Lizzie & Benny were staples at our old
facility. She was such a sweet gal. Then in February another old timer Putter S.
passed over the rainbow bridge, I think Matt is still crying over Putter’s passing. Putter was a springy old pup and everyone had
nothing but good things to say about Put-Put.
We also recently received news of the passing of Susy F, a small Dalmatian/pointer
mix. Thank goodness for Susy F. being
adopted by her mother who is a nurse, since Susy had oodles of
medications. Susy unfortunately suffered
from bad allergies and a liver condition.
Lastly we received news that one of our big cream golden doodles, Louie
A passed away. Louie A was a frequent
daycare pup, and though he was getting up there in age he still enjoyed seeing
his friends.
One of the worst things about having a pet
(unless you get an exotic bird or tortoise) is that compared to people they
have such short life spans. But even so,
after having all those memories and experiences with them would you really
trade it all just so you wouldn’t have to experience the heartache of losing
them? I certainly wouldn’t. I’ve been with Preferred Pet Care for going
on 9 years and unfortunately during that time I’ve had the joy of meeting TONS
of dogs, but unfortunately I’ve also had to say goodbye to many of them
too. Sometimes it’s rather sudden and
other times it’s expected, however, it’s never easy hearing about one of them
passing away. We develop a relationship
with all of these dogs; we talk about them as if they were our own. Every time I speak to a new customer,
especially one who is a nervous nelly about leaving their pup for the first
time, I always try to reassure them that it’s really like leaving your pup with
someone who will treat them like their own dog.
Because at the end of the day, all the dogs that come to Preferred Pet
Care become our family. I’m at home
basically on bedrest & I’m about to be that dog owner who calls to check in
on their dog (seriously we don’t mind it one bit). However 1- I don’t even know for sure if the
dog is boarding or there for daycare, and 2- in actuality I’m not the dog
owner. But you know what, I miss them,
like I’ve said time and time again, they’re a part of our family.
So
to end this blog I figured everyone needed a little cry today, so here it is… I’m sure some of you have seen this online at
some point or another but this story truly does encompass the truth about dogs-
now bring on the waterworks…
Being
a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound
named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy,
Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I
examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t
do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the
old dog in their home.
As
we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for
six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might
learn something from the experience.
The
next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded
him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I
wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker
slipped peacefully away.
The
little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or
confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud
about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane,
who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”
Startled,
we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d
never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, “People are born so
that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the
time and being nice, right?”
The
six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t
have to stay as long.”
Hank & Frankie
Frankie & Hank doing what he loved (well half of what he loved eating is pretty awesome too- especially when Mom use to give him pizza)
Susy F.
