Life University Staff Council Newsletter Volume 6 Issue 3, Summer 2015 | Page 5

Saying Goodbye to a Furry Family Member BY SHELIA WOOD If you love pets, you’ll know exactly what I am feeling as you read this. I have five children – two young adults and three fur babies, my Shelties. We brought the brothers, Mason and Dixon, into our family as 6-week-old puppies when my human children were very young. They’ve all grown up together. Scarlett came a few years later when the Shelties were 5. Our dogs are as much “family” as any twolegged member in our household, and those who have fur family will certainly understand how we feel. Our Dixon had been under the weather for a couple of days, but nothing seemed serious; he just wasn’t quite his usual self. At 12-years-young, he and Mason are entitled to a few slow days now and then. In fewer than 18 hours he went from being out of sorts to being in a serious state. He lay essentially in one spot, refused to eat, slept and seemed generally miserable. We feared dog flu since it had been in the news so much lately. An emergency vet visit would reveal the cause. With a long, tense face, the doc came in and told us Dixon was in peril, in almost full renal failure. It was not the news we had expected to hear. Apparently this can happen quickly with older dogs. There was a treatment, but it offered little hope for recovery for a dog his age, and would most likely be quite painful for our sweet boy. He would need to stay at the vet hospital and would likely pass during the night. As a pet parent, you want to do everything you can to keep your fur babies healthy and extend their life. We had a decision to make. We could put him through a grueling treatment that provided little to no chance of restoring his quality of life, or end his suffering. Not much of a choice. While in the exam room, our family loved on Dixon. We talked to him, patted and stroked the silky fur of his weary body for what seemed like hours as we struggled with making the decision that was right for him. I couldn’t imagine a home without Dixon there, but I couldn’t allow him to die alone in a cage at the vet, or be in pain for another minute. We had to come to terms with the realization that it was up to us to make the best decision for Dixon. My daughter, with tears rolling down her face, bent over to Dixon who laid ever so still on the table. He had after all been “her big boy” from the beginning, and she asked him what he wanted: “Dixon, are you tired? Are you ready to go, baby?” With the last bit of energy he had, Dixon lifted his head ever so slowly, just slightly off the table, and licked her twice on the chin. The unconditional love from this precious animal, and his effort to console his family, even at the end, was unbelievable. It was one of the sweetest moments I have ever had the privilege to know. His head fell with a weak thud against the table and his gentle eyes closed. We had our answer. We chose what the vet called “the most humane act of love.” It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Having never had dogs growing up, I had never lost a furry member of the family, nor had my children. Now we were saying goodbye. We watched and cried, each with our hands on our boy, as the doctor eased Dixon to his final rest. We wrapped him in his blanket and watched as the doctor handled him gently as he drifted off to sleep. Through our tears, we drove him home one final time and laid him in an azalea bed where he had loved to lay in the shade – one of his favorite spots in our backyard. While we’ve held backyard funerals for fish, hamsters and even a 5-foot iguana, nothing had prepared us for the mourning that would come as we have grieved this dog. A small, granite marker is placed where Dixon lays, and I visit him there every day. Someone said to me, “It’s just a dog. You need to stop being so upset.” But someone else, who truly understands love and compassion, paid me the best compliment of all: “Dixon never knew he was a dog, he was a people.” As is stated on his marker: “You left paw prints on our hearts forever. We will never forget you.”  Faces of LIFE Story Campaign Faces of LIFE is a story campaign that showcases members of the dynamic LIFE community, including faculty/staff, students, alumni and health sciences professionals. Interested in being featured or nominating a candidate? E-mail [email protected]. 5