Losing Buddy Dog

Today our beloved Buddy Dog has gone over the bridge.

After several weeks of being sick, he apparently had a stroke (or some kind of episode) which I witnessed this afternoon. It was pretty scary. He was shaking, and his skin was just vibrating over his body. We raced up to the vet and he seemed a wee bit better but the consensus was that he was getting worse each day.

The muscles holding his skin taut over his skull were wasting, his face was drooping and there were other signs that his recovery was not to be. He was having a very tough time getting up and walking. He was quite disoriented and today, for the first time since we have known him, he refused a walk. That was clearly a sign that he had given up. After much discussion, we decided it would be best to let him go. The vet talked about neurology consults and things more complex, because she, as a scientist, would want more technicial information about exactly what was causing the problems with his brain - even though the outcome would not change because he was not a candidate for brain surgery with his other problems. And so we said our sad goodbyes.

We were very lucky to find Buddy at the MSPCA in Springfield just a few days after losing Aubrey Jean (our llttle bluetick coonhound) 2 1/2 years ago. Buddy was about 10 then and his family had sadly given him up because of an illness that required them to travel. He filled a big hole in our hearts - fortunately, he was a BIG beagle! We made him a little smaller, but he was big boned. He was smart and knew tricks like sit, shake, down (hit the deck) and roll (halfway over before your big belly stops you and you have to roll back). He understood everything that was said to him and kept it in his mind to pull up later. He never had an accident in the house, never consider flipping a trash can or counter surfing (until Kami showed him how) and wouldn't even throw up in the house. He was, we believe, quite embarassed about how his illness made him drool and his hygeine suffer.

He liked his space but loved his people and was Velcroed to Bob's leg, scared to miss out on a chance to ride to somewhere. Thankfully, he wasn't with Bob when Bob rolled his truck last year. We were so grateful for that. He'd been to Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, of course, and Cape Cod where he used to jump into the Herring River and swim or chase crabs on the beach and sleep in the bed with us. On our first trip to the Cape he made friends with one of the cameramen from Court TV while I was taking part in filming a show. He was particularly fond of Provincetown where he would hang his head out the car window and just go crazy watching all the activity.

We know his last years were good for him. He lived in the country and did beagle things like chasing bunnies. I wish his old owners could know he had fun and we loved him very much.

There have been a few beagley dogs in our lives and each will be remembered for something special: Tilie Louise, Aubrey Jean, Willow Bea and now Buddy Dog will all be waiting for us. Please say a little prayer for Buddy and for Kami who now has the big task of being our "only dog" among the cats.