assisivk
02-17-2002, 02:08 PM
I wanted to post this when it happened.... October 31, 2000 and found that I could not. That is the day that Jake died. My 14 year old golden retriever friend. He had been with us since the day he was born. He was the runt of the very large litter and his mother kept pushing him away. He slept every night of his life for the next few years in my son's bed. They were best friends from the beginning until the end. The last six months of his life he knew that his time had come. In a perfect world, he could have died naturally and at peace. I just couldn't let him go. The day that I came home from work and he could no longer walk, I think that he told me what to do. We went to our vet's... Jake loved our vet... for him it was a special occasion when he got to see him so there was no fear or trauma. He died in my arms... he licked my face and his eyes thanked me for allowing him his dignity. And this is the very first that I have been able to say goodbye in this way. There are a houseful of little animals that live here... Jake was the alpha until the end.... the disciplinarian, the one who licked the wounds, the one who broke up the fights, the one that human babies were known to sleep on... all curled up next to his belly... He was also a clown prince and the biggest con artist that ever walked on four legs. He could have outdone even a dachshund in that behavior!! And he could be very disobedient when my decision did not coincide with his... he found his hearing loss as an old man quite convenient in this! His friend Casey... who had been terribly abused as a young dog and came to us and learned from following Jake around that he was safe and loved and could trust... mourned him for weeks. Then gradually assumed his new place. So for Jake... we all love you and miss you and will see you again one day.