8/8/05

I carry sambo out to the yard to see if he has to go to the bathroom, and to just see him walking around the yard he once ran around. I know he won’t see me as he hasn’t been seeing things for a while.I place him down and he starts to stumble and walk across the yard. I sit on the ground on this cool summers night.I sit and lean up againt the shade watching sambo from across the yard remembering my bestest buddy had far better days, and then I think so have I. I look at the falling sun and see the stars. Then I feel something, I look down. There is sambo with his head in my lap.He stands there and just moves his head up and down.I am in shock you see as sambo hasn’t done that in about a year and half.He hasn’t been able to walk or see very well. But yet on this eve he sat with me with his head in my lap as to say things will be ok, or maybe just saying thanks.We sat there for what seemed like the entire night, but it was only a few short minutes.Then sambo walked away and stumbled away.He would return one more time, but he could not stand as well as he once had. Then it was time to head in and leave the stars behind. It was time for sambo you see to have his one last ice cream. I opened up a frosty paw, and sat on the floor.Along came sambo and with one hand I held the dixie cup sized ice cream to this mouth, and with the other I help keep his legs up so he could eat it. I was then able to rest his legs down, and for 15 minutes sambo ate and ate his last ice cream we me. You see once he would have taken this and ran off to eat this all by himself, a time which seemed like yeasterday, but a time we both knew was a lot longer then that.

9/9/2005

The morning came, the sun rose and sambo walked around doing his usual thing of falling, and bumping into things.But not as much on this day, as For breakfast mom made him liver, he loves liver. Mom carried his dish into the room and he follwed hopping behind her like he was a bunny.He stood up and ate every last piece, then for seconds he had some Burger king hamburger left over from the night before from his supper. He ate and ate, and looked so sweet and every so cute. Then it was time to go out one last time, I picked him up and carried my best buddy out, he walked around the yard and did his business. Then he stood next to mom, she reached down and picked him up and he placed his head by her and what a picture it made. Then it was time to get dad with mom, sambo and chaplin for one last photo. Then sam walked over to me, hitting my leg and I bent down and picked him up and carried him around the yard fighting back the tears as this I knew would be the very last time we would ever be out in the yard together again.Just the night before I remember sambo trying to tell me I think that it would be ok. I walked and walked and stopped and stood hoping I could freeze time, but like another time in my life when I tried, I could not.

I did get another chance to walk with him, this time across town. This was a place we have been to at least once a year, sometimes more over the last 14 years. He was having a little bit of a hard time, but he wasn’t used to being on a leash since a long time ago. I picked him up and talked to him once more, and hugged him and again tried to freeze time, but again I just could not. The grass was green, and sambo just stood there as if to be looking at it. Then again I picked him up and carried him off and placed him onto a blanket, I talked to him and told him how greatful and luckey I was to have been around such a great buddy. Mom said a few words to him, I kissed my bestest buddy as I called him. Then there was a voice, are we ready, heads shook and I think I said yes. In less then a minute sambo drifted off as I kissed him and said I love you, go with god and who knows whatelse. What seems like minutes but was only seconds at 11:21 am e.s.t he died in my arms. My bestest buddy was gone. I never even saw a dead person, or pretty much anything dead. Here I was with my bestest buddy laying in my arms dead, he looked so peaceful, and for the first time in about 8 years or so no pain anymore. But Oh How I miss him. It is always hard when you have to let things that you love go. But you leave them go because you love them and it is the right thing to do, and in most cases the only thing you can do.

Dr. K , Katie and Treesa where wonderful, Treesa even cried. Dr. K, showed us the circle of live when he opened up a door to a new puppy just days old. They took great care and made him ready for his last ride we would take. His eye’s open his face looking so at peace as mom and I drove him 90 minutes away to meet the people that would be cremating him, we were asked if we wanted to watch. But instead we just said one last goodbye, picked out the things we had to. On monday he will be ready to come back home as I take one last drive to get his remains.

– Gil from PA