Off the subject....

I'm a little off topic today. It's been almost 9 months since I lost my best friend, and I'm still missing him. His name was Lucky...

Lucky was a big, huge 98lb dog who loved everyone. He loved to be the center of attention. Even when I was busy with school and work, he was always there waiting for me. He never questioned me. He always understood when I was sad. We went on many a walk, some hikes, lots of snow covered treks and chased a frisbee or two, but only in his yard..

On Feb. 7th, I came home from work. It had been raining, and Lucky stayed outside when we weren't home. We had just bought our house a few months before and only had a dirt backyard. He was covered in mud. And I thought he was fine as usual.

On Sunday the 8th. He didn't eat his dinner. He was acting more tired than usual. I thought he was just tired. Other than that he showed no signs and symptoms of anything unusual..

On Monday, I called my vet and made an appt for Tuesday because he was still acting sluggish. After I called the vet, I noticed his belly was slightly distended. I listened for bowel sounds, and heard tinkling. Which means possible ileus. I'm instantly running the things through my mind of what he could have eaten that would block him up...

And then I lifted up his jowls, and his gums were white...

I was in shock. He was internally bleeding. But from what?!

I called the vet back. Asked for an appt for that day. They were booked solid. My poor friend had to suffer all night, and he made not a peep.

Tuesday, I took him and my new puppy (Jack) to the vet. He was quiet the whole time, and didn't whine or cry at all. Not that he ever did anyways at the vet..

We ran x-rays, blood work, abdominal ultrasounds..

$980 later, we found out that he had a splenic tumor that had ruptured, nodules in his liver and prostate. My husband and I had to make the hardest decision of our lives. This dog had been with me through everything in the last 8 years. We put him down that day, February 10th. He was 10.

8 years earlier..

When I met my husband, he told me that when I came to his house, to use the back gate to come in. As I walk up to the gate (he lived on the corner), there was this huge brown and white dog in the yard. He took one look at me and barked. I took one look at him and knew he was a big baby. I walked right in that yard. And from that point on, he was attached at my hip. My husband had rescued him from the Humane Society. He was born in a shelter, adopted, lived with his first family for a few months. He was subsequently brought back because he was too hyper. He was adopted for a second time. Then brought back again. And that's when my husband met him. My husband, Will, says he adopted him because he looked sad, and rode well in cars. HA! Lucky loved car rides so much!! He loved to hang his head out the window and bark at the oncoming traffic..

Lucky followed me everywhere. Sometimes, he irritated me, like all kids do..I said a few mean things, but he always knew I never meant it, and that I was irritated or tired..

A few years ago, I took him to a dog walk to raise money for the HSUS and bought him a bandanna. He loved that bandanna and wore it everywhere! I made him a few, but his favorite was the black one that had "13" on it. He loved that one and when I would wash it, he would wait so patiently for me to put it back on and stand there while I tied it...

When he died, we had him cremated, and had his bandanna cremated along with him..

It never gets any easier to lose someone you love, you just learn to cope..

On February 11th, my husband and I had tattoos made to commemorate Lucky..