Last night we had to put our "Old Man" to sleep. "Bubba" Bear had been with us over 15 years. Born in the backroom of our house on Lindwood Rd in LeRoy, NY...he had been a faithful friend, companion, and protector.
Bear was a bright dog. We taught him to climb the tree in our yard in E. Bethany. He even climbed a ladder once to help Dave clean the gutters on the house. Who could forget the "Timmy fell in the well" trick we taught him. He would jump in and out of the wishing well Dave had built me for mother's day. NO easy task, the sides had to be 4 ft high.
Bear had suffered seizures, first one coming when he was about 2 yrs old. Scared me to death. We medicated him only to watch him stumble around the house, higher than a kite. I remember him staring at the red light on the stereo for what seemed like an hour. He just stood there and stared. It was then we took him off the medication. Since he always remained conscious during a seizure, we thought he would be fine, and he was.
As he got older, hip problems seemed to plague the "Old Man". The summer of 2008 he began having trouble getting into the van and climbing stairs. He absolutely refused to climb the stairs in the back of the house. As fall rolled in, Bear began to refuse stairs all together.
Over the past two months, it became difficult for Bear to even stand. Over Thanksgiving I told the family it was time to think about putting him to sleep. No one wanted to. Last week, Bear got to the point where he could not stand on his own for more than a few seconds. Picking him up you could feel his brittle bones crack. Saturday we made the decision to end his suffering. Watching him over the weekend I knew it was the right decision.
I stayed with him while he drew his last breath. I know I don't want to be alone when I die, I could not do that to one of my closest and dearest friends. Though he seemed to want to fight the medicine going in to his bloodstream, I know it was the Euphoria the Vet had warned me about, and seconds later he laid his head down next to me, and finally rested.
I like to believe, as a Christian, that I'll see Bear again in heaven. I hope he understands why I did what I had to do. I could no longer watch him suffer. Though he never appeared to be in pain, never moaned or even barked when I lifted his frail body up to go outside, I know this was not what I wanted for my friend.
So "Old Man", whom I miss dearly, I love you. I am waiting till I can bring your ashes home and have you here where you belong. You were the best dog, best pet, best friend a person could ask for. I only hope I made your time here on Earth as happy as you made mine.
Sleep in peace.
