Still Naughty

This is the post I dreaded most when I began this blog. I knew it would come and hoped it wouldn’t come too soon. Two years after our naughty tripawd became a tripawd at age 14, he passed away at age 16.5 on 3/22/2013. He has left us with sadness in our hearts, but also with a lifetime full of memories.

I first met Jake when he was 8 weeks old. He was wiggly and cute and always looking to get into something he shouldn’t. Stealing Chicken Parmesan leftovers from the table (jumping on the chair, then jumping on the table…you get the picture), chewing bed covers, and not listening in general.

As he grew up, his rein of naughtiness continued. Stealing sips of beer out of glasses/bottles, getting in the trash, and breaking into the “secure” dog food container. We still use the expensive horse feed container which proved to be the only dog food container he couldn’t crack. Stealing almost an entire pizza from my sister, who was NOT pleased. In addition to stealing and breaking and entering, Jake was probably the dog Poison Control received the most calls about in the history of the help line. “Hello, Poison Control, how may I help you?” “My Labrador Retriever just ate a pound of raw meat out of a pan on the stove…what should I do?” “Hello, Poison Control, how may I help you?” “My Labrador Retriever just chewed up a AA battery. I’ve got it out of his mouth, but he is shaking his head like he ate a jalapeno pepper”. “Hello, Poison Control, how may I help you?” “My Labrador Retriever just ate a tube of Neosporin, what should I do?”

Despite all of his naughty behavior, Jake was a really good dog. He loved nothing more than going out to the vegetable garden at the back of our property with my husband and snooping around while my husband Jason tilled the garden. I can still picture him over the last two years hopping out to the garden with almost the same speed he had when he was a four-legged dog. When I was quite ill a couple of years ago and was laying on the bathroom floor, he came and laid next to me and did not leave my side. He followed us wherever we went and always made us feel better when were were down.

Which brings us to the present time. A couple of months ago, vestibular disease entered Jake’s life. While vestibular disease is common in older dogs, it is much more challenging for a tripawd. Jake struggled to keep his balance, and couldn’t walk for almost two weeks. Due his incredible spirit, he was able to overcome the disease and was able to walk again. When Jake first became a tripawd, we bought him the tripawd vest, but never used it much, as he was quick to recover and did not need our assistance. However, when he was struck by vestibular disease, the vest became essential. I don’t know how we would have got through the past few months without it.

Even though Jake overcame vestibular disease, he began slowly deteriorating. I had a hard time seeing this decline. I’ve lost a significant amount of weight in the past two years and one thing I learned about myself in the weight loss process was that I tend to see what I want to see when presented with a difficult personal situation. So, although his eating slowed, I would find foods he liked and when he ate, comforted myself with his progress. Over the past week, I found myself propping him up in the dog pen so that he could stand. My husband started hinting that he wasn’t doing well, but I could only see the improvements from the day/week before. Luckily, Jake’s veterinarian is my mom. She came over for dinner this week and called me the next day to express her concerns about Jake’s state of being. On Friday morning, my husband told me that Jake couldn’t walk at all and that he had to carry him outside. We decided it was time.

On Friday evening, laying on one of our dog blankets, Jake left this earth surround by his dog pals, Labrador Retriever Biggby (age 2), and Labrador Retriever Daisy (age 1). Also in attendance was my mother (who administered his passing), my father, who assisted my mother (he works front desk and assists at another veterinary clinic), and Jake’s oncology surgeon, who is a close friend of the family and was the remover of his leg. I want to thank my mother for making this peaceful passing possible. She is a wonderful mom and a superb veterinarian. I also want to thank our oncology friend who made the last two years of Jake’s life possible and did an excellent job with his surgery. As I recall the day of the surgery, I remember her telling us how her technician was shocked about how naughty Jake was being in the moments before surgery prep began – he was getting into the trash in the surgery prep room. He was 14 years old and had a ruptured tumor on his front leg. But he still was geting into the trash, as he had done all of his life.

Over the past two years, Jake taught me a great deal about life. Although he had lost a leg, he didn’t let it stop him from doing the things he had always done. Until the last day of his life, every time he fell down, he struggled to get back up. His spirit was remarkable and I will carry it with me throughout my life.

On Saturday morning we were scheduled for a 5K and although I was not in the mood to go, I went. As I was leaving the house, I glanced over to see a quote I have on the refrigerator:

“I run because I can.

When I get tired, I remember those who can’t run,

What they would give to have this simple gift I take for granted, and I run harder for them.

I know they would do the same for me.”

So, I laced up my running shoes and I ran for Jake.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 24th, 2013 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.