Ode to a dog

Nothing to do with sports here, just something I wanted to post.

On Monday night, I received the unfortunate news that Sadie, my parents 9-year old English Setter, had to be put down after the vet found a tumor in her heart.  While it was a very hard reality to face, the decision was easy, as there wasn't much they could do for the dog, even surgery to remove the tumor carried an extremely slim chance of success.

This was a jarring turn of events, as Sadie was as spry as I'd ever seen her only a couple of weeks ago, before the folks departed with her on a cross-country trip.  About a week ago she began acting lethargic, prompting a visit to the vet, and a few days later tests turned up the awful news that every pet owner fears.  It's not the first time the family has been through this with a dog, but the swiftness of their decline is always a bit of a shock, it seems like yesterday she was tearing through the woods with me struggling to keep up, and now, suddenly, I would never be seeing her again.

While I do try to keep all this in perspective, as many people I know have gone through much worse with people in their lives, nevermind dogs, it is still profoundly sad to lose a pet.  Sadie might've been more my mom's dog than my own, accompanying her while she wintered in Arizona, but I loved her like a member of the family.  Dogs are faithful companions and eternal optimists offering unconditional love, and Sadie had all those traits in spades.  While I might not miss the 5 AM wakeup calls she insisted on whenever I watched her, or the insistent begging for anything she could get from the fridge, it makes me very sad to think about all of the things I loved her for, and will never get to experience again. 

Her absolute devotion to people, love of being petted, morning romps through the woods and slow stalking of various critters around the yard will always be ingrained in my memory.  As will be the clumsy missteps she made, walking straight into parked cars on walks (her eyes always had a bit of a downward droop) or falling ass-over-teakettles while trying to run down a rabbit she'd flushed (I affectionately nicknamed her Elmer Fudd after a few of those, she never had much success with the wabbits).  But most of all, I will just miss her being there, that validation a pet offers to it's owner, making them feel like the most important person in the room whenever they enter.

We get into this whole pet thing knowing that one day, we will have to say goodbye.  I've had to say my goodbyes to three dogs now, the old one I knew as a child, the one I raised from a pup and now the one who showed up as a quirky outcast, but settled into things as if she'd belonged there all along; because she did.  The last two went suddenly, and much sooner than I'd expected, leaving a raw pain that I know from experience only fades with the passage of time.  But sitting here now, getting misty at the memories, I'd do the same all over again.  As with any pet owner, the good far outweighs the bad, my life was enriched and now something is missing, but I'm far better off than if it had never been there at all.

Rest in peace Sadie Mae, you were as good a dog as anyone could've asked for, and it makes me feel proud that you loved me like you did.  I hope you catch that rabbit.