I had to face one of those tough decisions last week. I put down my 13 1/2 year old chocolate labrador, Bear. His health had been failing for a year. The arthritis in his hips was getting worse and the medication he was on just wasn't doing the trick anymore.
The vet gave him a steroid shot and told me he can only have two a year. This was his second in six months.
All pet owners know this day is coming and I had been saying goodbye to Bear for a long time. “I spent a lot of hours thinking about what I was going to do when the time came”.
Trying to make peace with my decision took a while but I now know I could not have done it better. While Bear still had a bit in him, while he could still stand and walk, I decided to share one final perfect day together.
For a Labrador, that meant water so we went to Coronado Island to play in the ocean.
As we were crossing over the big bridge, I could see Bear in my review mirror and I started smiling. From his comfy bed in the back of the truck, I watched as he stuck his nose in the air to catch the smells of the nearby ocean. He knew where we were going.
In his younger days, Bear would run as fast as he could straight into the crashing waves. This time, we walked, but as always he went straight into the surf. He was knee high in the water and looking at me with the expression every Labrador has perfected, the one that says, “throw me the ball”. And this was the start of our perfect day.
“Any dog owner can tell you when their pet is happy and in that moment, Bear was a very happy dog”.
He was still capable of doing the things he's always done; find the ball, swim, retrieve. This proud, beautiful labrador had a job to do for me - - get that ball - -and he didn't let
me down. He was praised for every fetch and knew his value and worth.
“If I had waited just another week Bear would have been too weak to play and we would have both lost this moment.”
It was almost an hour until I had to be at the Vet's office so Bear and I stopped off at McDonald's and shared a few hamburgers.
I brought a wet, sandy dog into the Ve
t and explained that we had a wonderful day at the beach. Bear left me that day with the smell of the ocean in his fur and a feeling of knowing he had a good day.
I read that a dog should leave this world knowing he is good. Bear's final day was filled with praise for a good fetch, a warm towel to rub dry on and a treat for a job well done.
Good dog.
****Bear was born in October 1994 in Indiana. He's lived in 4 states and has swam in rivers and oceans and run through mountain trails and desert canyons. He was a wonderful companion.
