Theresa and I said our final goodbye, this morning, to a friend of 15 years. His name was Bosco, a gentle, soothing, chocolate Lab, who lived for the opportunity of walking with Theresa in the mornings and being next to her when she arrived home in the evenings. Even when he was old, feeble, and struggled to work his back legs, he would move room to room every time she moved.
I didn’t know I was real friends with him, but I have spent a lot of time at home since retirement. I didn’t realize that these last two years we WERE friends, too. He would move to the room I was in and followed all my rules and would ask to go outside every few hours like a real gentleman and not like a rowdy dog. I guess he was old, too, you see. We developed a non-verbal non-touching closeness of mutual respect and on occasion I would give him a pat or plate-licking duty or even a few cheese fish when I was on a binge. This kind of friendship sneaks up on you … the kind you don’t realize until it’s not there.
After much deliberation, we decided it was time. We had doubled up on meds and it was no longer working at giving him quality of life. He had trouble breathing and we couldn’t keep him from getting up and following us room to room in pain even though we were only moving temporarily.
This morning we went for a 2 mile ride to the vet. He needed lifting to get into the car and laid down on the back seat … no looking out the window even when we passed through a school zone. I didn’t want to go, really, but who would be there to hold Theresa’s hand and give her comfort when he couldn’t with those sad understanding eyes.
The shot worked mercifully quick with an easy breath and a sigh, in pain no more. He just went to sleep … He is so so good at that (https://johnsrecon.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/why-a-retired-guy-takes-an-hour-and-a-half-to-change-a-light-bulb/).
REST IN PEACE BOSCO
John's Recon 