Saying Goodbye To An Old Friend

It was spring of 1993.  My brother and I had a fledgeling business, and were operating out of my home.  We had gone to a salad bar for a late lunch, and were on our way back to my house.  As we pulled up in the driveway, we noticed two very rough looking stray dogs passing by my property.  Neither had collars. One was a smaller dachsund mix, and the other was a tall, thin lab-shepherd mix.

Being the animal lover that I am, I coaxed the two of them into my back yard in an effort to feed them.  I figured I would feed them, let them calm down a little, then help find their owners (if possible), or find a new home for them.  At the time, I only had a cat, so I put out some cat food.  The dachsund was rather mean and aggressive, and ate all of the first bowl of cat food, not allowing the larger dog to eat.  Eventually, I had no choice but to shoo the smaller dog away, so that the larger one could eat.  Unfortunately, I chased him off a little too well, and he escaped out of the back yard, never to be seen again.

The larger dog was a mess.  Very skittish, many pockets of hair missing, and covered with mange.  My brother noticed her long whiskers and her tan colored coat, and immediately started calling her “Whiskey.”  It seemed to fit.  After feeding her, she let me get close enough to her to pet her.  Once I established some trust, I picked her up, put her in the car, and took her to the vet.  Once there, we determined that she was about 7 months old.  The doctor perscribed these special baths to get rid of the mange.  They were very strong, and made her very sleepy, but we eventually got her healthy.

Of course, this process took a couple of weeks.  During that time, we placed ads in the paper, and notices on nearby utility poles, but we were still not able to find her owners.  We assumed she was a stray, but wanted to be sure.

Since we were working out of my house, she was always around.  It became fun to take breaks, and try to train her.  Before too long, she had learned to sit, stay, come, lay down, shake (both paws), and gimme a kiss!  She definitely became part of the family very quickly.

She was a smart dog, and seemed to have a sense of gratitude.  I remember the day I took her to get her stitches out after being spayed.  The skin had grown over the stitches, and needed to be cut back a little.  At the vet, we had 4 people holding her down, so that the doctor could cut the string away quickly.  She was a little bit panicky, but afterwards, she went around and “kissed” every person in that room!

Over the years, she never lost her “street roots.”  She was constantly trying to get out.  I had put an electric fence over the top of the chain link fence, but she went right through it.  One time, she was gone for almost TWO WEEKS.  She came back very skinny with a lot of hair missing.  Of course, I was beside myself, as I was worried sick, but happy to see her!  I finally installed a thick wire that ran from the top of my house to the utility pole at the end of the yard, and kept her “tethered” when she was outside without supervision.  Eventually, I sold that house, and always made sure to have a tall privacy fence at any future property that I purchased.

Even with her shaky beginnings, Whiskey proved to be a great dog.  She was very loving and smart, and after clearly stating her alpha position, always got along with other animals that I brought home.  She became best friends with “Matte the Cat.”  In fact, Matte would regularly clean Whiskey’s ears for her!  The vet was always amazed at how clean her ears were.

Over the last year or so, Whiskey started losing a lot of weight.  She was also slowing down significantly.  She would only be able to walk for a block or so before becoming completely exhausted.  In February, she lost a tooth, and got a bad infection in her mouth.  Even with proper antibiotics, pain pills, etc, she never fully recovered.  Eventually, her back legs were so riddled with arthritis, that she was having a hard time walking.  She was leaving a lot of fecal droppings around the house.  And even with the strongest flea medicine, the fleas found her to be a very attractive host, due to her weak condition.

It is so difficult to decide to euthanize a pet.  The biggest question I kept asking myself was “when is the right time?”  Yesterday, I went to let the her in, and could not find her.  She was stuck in a shallow hole (about 6 inches deep) that was dug by my other dog, and did not have the strength to pull herself out.  After helping her out, I called the vet, and scheduled the appointment for this morning.  Of course, I still was struggling with the decision, hoping that there might be another sign that she was ready.   This morning, when I awoke, Whiskey was lying right outside my bedroom door in a pile of her own feces.  I knew it was time.

Today, at 11:04 am Central time, Whiskey was put to sleep.  The doctors and techs know me very well, and were all very kind to me.  First, they gave Whiskey a sedative, then we put her up on the table, and the doctor administered the final injection.  She went very peacefully.  He checked with his stethoscope to make sure that she was gone.  Carrie, the vet technician allowed me to say my last goodbye, then gave me hug, and I was on my way.  I seemed to be doing OK, but heard my voice crack as I thanked her.  As I got in my car, the tears started flowing, and I could not stop.  I just sat in the parking lot crying for a few minutes.

How do you say goodbye to a dog that has been such a big part of your life?  Whiskey had been with me through three businesses, a cat, two other dogs, and four houses.  We had a long history together.  She was a faithful companion and friend.  I will miss her terribly, but I am glad she is no longer suffering.

Rest in peace, my friend…

"Whiskey" 1992 - 2009