Saying Goodbye to a good friend of mine

For the past few weeks, my dog, Boy felt sick. He was 12 years old dog and in human years, he would be 84 of age. A Sturdy fella who have spent his 10 over years as a guard dog at my in-law shop. Due to the relocation of the shop, Boy came to my home for retirement.

As he was a guard dog, he was raise to be aggressive in nature and have bitten some thieves off before. We managed to retrain him and earned his trust. There was a special bond between Boy and me. He would follow only me whenever I went in my home. He would stay guard at the doorway in whatever room I was in. Every morning when I wake up, Boy would be there waiting for me. When I came home, he will stand up and welcome me.

His name is just Boy.

Boy's suffered many old wounds from old fights and we have spent the last 1 and a half years solving his ears infection. Beside that problem, he still a Happy and active dog.

Things started to change in the early of January 2010. He started to loose appetites and ate lesser and lesser. We soon discovered there was swelling of the mouth and neck. We rushed him to the vet and it get better. However two days later, the situation turned for the worst. He can no longer chew his food nor swallow. He could not even drink water. My wife and I knew his time was getting short and he was silently suffering in pain. To see him not able to eat nor drink water for 2 days was heart breaking to us.

We brought him to the vet one last time today with my Father-in-laws (owner of Boy for 10 years). The doctor explained the situation to us that if we jab him one more time, the situation only gets to delay a day or two. The last thing we want is to see him staved and suffer to death. We do not want him to go alone without anyone being there. Looking at his swelling face, we knew that was the last thing we can do for him... As we gather around him and said our last goodbye, we started to cry.

I couldn't bring myself to mouth the words goodbye to him. It took me sometime to say "Boy, thank you for coming to our life and blessed us with your faithful presence to make us especially me feel so special." As we stepped out of the vet clinic, Boy's suffering may have ended but our heart was totally broken...

Boy last Christmas with us before he started to get sick

As we stepped into our home, the reality of him not being there ran me over. No more welcome stand from him, no more late night snatching sound from him, no more daily night walk with him. No more Boy... T_T

To some I may lost a Pet but to me I have lost a good and faithful friend. I know all dogs goes to heaven and for a faithful, long-suffering friend like Boy, I know God will receive him with open arms. I know Boy is at a better place now without suffering and is free to do whatever he want. I thank you boy for giving your trust and respect to me as a owner. You have made me feel so special as a owner. It is always an honor having you walking beside me every single day. Everyone in the family will remember you and I will always missed you as a good friend to me Boy.



I love you buddy. Stay happy okay?


Comments

I know how you feel bro...I lost two of my dogs too.
Stay strong!
KazeTora said…
I know how that feels as well, to me a dog is like a best friend. Heck, there were times when my only friend is my dog. So, I know how it feels to lose the best friend in the world.

Keep it strong, L. Boy gone to doggy heaven now, so I suppose he go to a much better place.
Juliana said…
I've never kept pet dogs before, but when the cats I had many years ago eventually died, a part of me also "died" with them.

From then on, I never keep pets anymore, not even fish or terrapins. I just can't take the loss anymore.

You have good memories of being together with Boy, those will always remain with you, even if he's physically not with you anymore. Take heart, All Dogs Go To Heaven!
moemoekyun said…
Reminds me my family had a dog before she was older than me but she passed few years ago with skin cancer I think
chrismandesign said…
so, so sorry pal... i hav had many pets (cats, dogs...) each one has been a great company in its own way... but the death is part of the life, someday we will pass away as well & we’ll become just regards... good regards i hope... my better wishes for u, to go across this pain & get confort. ;(
xuancreative said…
sorry bout that :( be strong ya... hope boy found a good place ...
Bubbashelby said…
So sorry to hear of your loss. I know the feeling. You were both blessed to have known and loved each other.
Willy's Toys said…
I know how you feel completely. In the last year I lost my cat and my dog that I had for 16 years of my life. Its a heavy loss when you loose a pet, but you have to stay strong. Sorry for your loss.
LEon said…
Thank you friends for all your comforting words. Will be strong to keep life going. :)
Kenny said…
Sorry about your loss. As a dog owner myself, I think I know how you feel.
chubbybots said…
Sorry for your loss Leon, mine passed away last year too...cried when she died.

Really painful but keep the beautiful memories of ah boy with ya always ^^ Time heals the wounds..
LEon said…
Thanks Kenny and Chubbybots. It's good to see so many pet owner experience and it really comforting.
MOCK! said…
What a beautiful post. Sorry for your loss.
LEon said…
Thank you Mock! :)
Hexlord said…
Hi Leon, sorry that I only drop by today to view your blog.

I have never had the chance to own a dog in my family. However, my neighbour in KL used to own a dog and I was happy to have her around... sadly she died of old age while I am studying here.

Anyway, sorry for your loss and yes all dogs do go to heaven especially for someone as faithful as Boy.
LEon said…
@Hexlord
Thank you so much for your comforting words.
I'm sorry to hear about your Boy's suffering and the hard time you had gone through. It's never easy to see someone dear to you part. My condolences.
LEon said…
@Dennis
Thank you my friend.
janus lu said…
Be strong, bro.
LEon said…
Thanks Janus, I will.
Damn.... that is sad... dog is indeed a very loyal friend... too bad I stay in an apartment so no pets allowed, otherwise I would love to have one...

When I lived in some other country last time, I stayed in a housing area and most of the stray dogs become my pet - I love to feed them and they recognize and respect me when they see me from far away... that is before the local authority have this campaign to "clean-up the streets and terminate" the stray dogs by using poisoned food to capture them... fucking evil...
LEon said…
@David
Yes they are loyal friends and they always have time for you. Which country was that?
Your neighbor country... very near you one... no need to mention name lah... hehehehe
chunky B said…
LEon,

So sorry to hear about this, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know that our furry friends are with us for such a short time, but they know we love them, and I know you will always have those happy memories.
LEon said…
@David
Okay I roughly can guess then.

@chunky B
Thanks buddy. I will always remember this good friend of mine.

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