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[RC] Our Two Puppies - Howard BramhallOur Two Puppies I know this is a horse-related sight (it?s all about the horse, of course) but, well, in my own sly fashion, I was wondering if we could move on to puppies. Lol. Move on, that was a joke, kinda. But, as endurance riders, even wannabees like myself, we all know that at endurance rides there are dogs spattered about the camp grounds along with all those horses. I seem to be part of that group, the group of animal whackos, where, bringing 3 horses to an endurance ride just isn?t enough. We whackos must add more animals to the mix and, after the horse, our next choice is the dog. Loyal, obedient, well-trained dogs just like our horses. Haha. So, you may be asking, OK, dogs are fine if they are on a leash, tethered, or somehow not allowed to mix freely with our steeds, stallions and non-pregnant mares. But, what about the puppies? Who would bring puppies to an endurance ride? Isn?t that a bit over the top? A few weeks ago we had to put our dog down. Her name was Taffy, she was 14, we owned her for 12 years, and she was the most beautiful, cinnamon Chow you ever did see. She had a type of hair I have never seen in a creature before, even though I guess my experience in hair is limited to human, dog, and cat. Taffy?s hair was kinda curly, but not too much, kinda long, but, not too much, and the color was kinda orange (but, not too much). It was so thick you had to wonder how this dog survived the summer heat in Central Florida to the point where she actually seemed to thrive on the morbid combination of heat and humidity. I had to practically drag her in the air conditioned house, in the middle of the day, in the middle of July, when, to me, just walking outside (where she wanted to be), was such an unpleasant experience. This dog was to die for. She was very gentle and incredibly attached to me and my family, as, we were to her. Things have not been going all that well for Taffy the last year or so. Her old age, as happens to all of us (human, dog, horse and, even, the cat), was kicking in. She slept like a newborn, had a difficult time standing, and, well, walking was not what it used to be. My family was at the point where we knew the end was near, but we were prepared to hang in there (mostly because of me and my freaky concept of death) as long as we possibly could. I felt as long as she could get around, eat, poop, pee (there?s an endurance connection right there), we wouldn?t be paying that final visit to the vet with our beloved dog. I held on to this belief for over a year. Then, out of the blue, one day, Taffy could no longer stand. Her hip displacia had kicked in so violently, that, it was God awful to see. The day I saw it, I cried. I cried so badly that I was glad no one was around to watch me do this. Because, even if someone would have been around, I would have done it anyway. This dog was not just a dog to me, she was kin, she was as much a part of my life as any living human, in fact, she was more than that. She and I had a pact and that pact was, together, till death, and, till then, we would never part. I couldn?t make the trip to the vet. I just couldn?t bring myself to do it. For three days I said my good-byes to a dog, who wasn?t just a dog, but, someone, who?s soul, I just did not want to let go of, ever. I wanted to love her forever, and if that wasn't possilbe (who makes up these rules?), for just a little more longer. I?m greedy; I wanted more time with my Taffy. I begged for a miracle. I had done this once before, years ago, with my horse, Dance Line. It worked back then, I was hoping for a repeat. I cried a lot during that time; I?m incredibly weak when it comes to the bitter end. I did not want to let her go. There was a part of me that could not let her go, and, that part of me did not go to the vet when her appointment came a calling on Monday morning. The wife and kid took her there and sat with her in that room, when the vet gave Taffy her final shot, which ended her life. I sat home and cried. Time went by and it was not a happy time. I was a little angry, I think I even asked God a question or two. Like, ?Why don?t dogs live long enough? Why did you have to take my dog? Ten to fifteen years is nothing. They need to live longer. If horses lived that short of a life span, I don?t think I could endure owning one equine, let alone six. I?m too damn weak. To Be Continued _________________________________________________________________ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar ? get it now! http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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