Patches and I June 2, 2010 Portage Glacier
I can hear Patches thinking:
"HEY does it make my butt look big walking with this human?"
As any person who has loved a special friend from the animal kingdom who shares a life with them will most often speak as this friend is a family member, a child or their very best-friend. Simply put they are all that and more.
One might hear stories how they came into that person’s life and folks could share special moments about their bond. The saddest might be when that special friend’s death occurs.
My mother could write a book of the creatures I cried over as a child when my friends left this earth: lizards, hamsters, a parakeet, a cat. My childhood dog was still barking at the post man until I was 20 years old.
So for over 30 some odd years I have not had a special friend die.
As an adult I had only a cherished cockatiel die that was almost 15 years old. My grief when this small soul died was heart wrenching – Jeepers died in 2003. So my experience of death of a best friend as an adult is very small.
As some of my readers know last Monday our beloved Patches went to her final sleep. I could write a book about the little and large joys that she brought into our life, and the bond of two humans with this one dog. I have read many books by authors about their special best friend. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried.
I wrote this so that a record of a special friend’s life would never be forgotten and to allow the grief I feel to be acknowledged and set free.
A very condensed version for a special loved one who lived 12 years and 3 months.
Patches October 12, 1998 – January 10, 2011
When she arrived after flying all the way from Mississippi to Alaska at 9 weeks of age she was just a puddle of black and white fur that fit in one palm.
With big brown eyes, a black nose, she was just the cutest, and one of the shyest puppies I had ever seen. She had these itty bitty paws and a tiny bark that made you laugh coming from such a little puddle of fur. She tried to act all tough but at 9 weeks that is pretty hard to do when you only weigh a pound and a half pounds.
I had kept her upcoming arrival a secret; Patches was a total surprise present for my guy. She arrived in mid-afternoon while my guy was still sleeping (at that time he worked the graveyard shift). Upon awaking and getting ready for his evening shift he walked out to the kitchen where Patches was sitting.
An instant bonding and love affair began between a man and a Lhasa Apso.
Within two weeks of arriving Patches was potty trained and was our daughter. She also became a daddy’s girl. He spoiled this puppy – anything she wish to do or not do he permitted. Over the years she become very picky eater, and was hand feed by her daddy. Once she was spoiled, it was clearly beyond my control. I allowed it which is hard for me to admit but both Patches and her Daddy had a special bond that even though I complained but also laughed about it. But I’m getting ahead of all that is important about Patches.
Arriving in Alaska winter time Patches learned early that snow was fun. As her first summer approached confusion to where all the white stuff was going. Patches followed the melting snow around the yard trying to find her potty spots. As June hit with only a small footprint of snow left under a pine tree Patches learned about grass and warmer weather.
Rocks became Patches obsession. She would toss them around the yard entertaining her-self and us! Too many times she would carry a rock into the house and begin playing ‘rock tossing’. We learned very quickly to check her mouth before bringing Patches back into the house if she had been outside for a rock.
Rocks do hurt when tossed in wild abandonment and joyous thrill of seeing it fly through the air. This obsession lasted for three summers. I do believe the only reason it ended was all the rocks where gone that Patches could find that fit for her thrill of tossing around. The rocks couldn’t be very big, the size of a man’s thumb were her favorites. We tried replacing this obsession with balls and other round objects but Patches never cared for any ball. They totally bored her.
Then we went through what I call Patches ‘plants digging spree’. We have an area under the kitchen window of about 7 square feet that I would fill each spring with annuals. This area Patches decided was hers. She would dig a hole, at least a foot deep sometimes even deeper, covering most of the plants in dirt and unfortunately causing them to not do so well for growing and sprouting flowers. Every few days I would have to go out and undo the mounds of dirt over a few plants and fill a huge deep hole.
At age 6 Patches mellowed out from rocks and digging. Winters would pass and summers she would sit at a spot in the corner of the yard closest to the front porch basking in the sun.
Patches was a grand guardian of our yard; barking at either neighbor when they were out and about in their own yard. She also believed it was her duty to protect the whole street from anyone she deemed a danger. I’m sure my neighbors found this annoying but I give them credit for always being pleasant and trying to ignore her barking at them.
Our neighbor to the left of us had a male Chesapeake Retriever named Rex who fell head over heels in love with our little Lhasa. When we brought Patches into our lives Rex was already an adult dog at the age of 6. As the seasons changed we watched Rex become a senior with white hairs covering his face a stark contrast to his red fur and whose walking became harder and very painful but he always ran to the fence to rub noses and voice his joy at seeing Patches.
In 2004 Patches became ill. A 3 day visit to the animal hospital ensued. It was the only time all of us where separated. Her pancreas had built up some toxins and with meds, and warnings about diet she came home. So she became even more spoiled with only fresh home cooked meals, and lots of treats from her Daddy.
When Rex’s life ended at age 11 in 2005; it took Patches a long time to understand that he wasn’t around. She would run to the fence when let outdoors and look for Rex and bark to let him know she was standing at the fence at their meeting spot. Then she would run to the back yard again standing at the fence at one of their meetings spot looking for her buddy.
A year later Rex’s daddy brought home a grand guy named Buck. Buck is also a Chesapeake Retriever. First time I saw Buck he was an armful of red and a bundle of energy with paws the size of my hand. He is just now filling out and looking like an adult retriever. Patches fell in love again. Although Buck enjoys Patches as a friend; he only has eyes for my guy. We call Buck the cheater dog. He goes totally crazy over seeing my guy whenever Griff is outside. Even Bucks daddy says Buck loves Griff more. We all agree the two of them must have known each other in another life time and are finally together again although living in different houses and only separated by a chain link fence.
In October 2010 Patches turned 12 years old.
Patches seemed to still be a young puppy in our eyes. Whenever I left and returned home Griff would let her out the door to greet me as I came through our front gate. She would run in circles, belly low to the ground begging me to chase her, a favorite game for us! I would stomp my feet, clap my hands and the circles would become tighter and she would just be joyous with me pretending to be chasing her and telling her “I’m going to get you” and letting my hand touch her backside as she raced around me. In circles tighter and tighter, going lower and lower, faster and faster. I regret I never got this wild crazy game on camera. We would laugh until my tummy would hurt – many times we also played this game in the living room. Until she wore out and would lay down on her pillow. Then I would know game over. Outside Patches tongue would be hanging out and eyes bright I would tell her okay time to go in and she would settle down and act all prim and proper once more.
When Patches became ill this time, it was a shock to me. On Saturday I thought it was just her being an older dog that seemed a tad out of sorts or being a Lhasa with an attitude which I understand from other owners of Lhasa’s fairly common although this was not of her sweet nature; she had thrown up and had peed inside; something she never did unless extremely frighten which usually only happen when fireworks went off on July 4 or New Years.
On Sunday, January 9 2011 I took her to the Emergency Animal Clinic because of Griff’s urging and realizing by now something was terribly wrong with our baby.
My worse fear was confirmed. Patches was seriously ill. As a senior female still having heat cycles; she had developed an infection of her uterus called: Pyometra
I can only blame myself for this. I did not understand that as female dogs aged going into heat put them into a higher risk factor for developing Pyometra a life threatening disease. The vet and I had only discussed once when Patches had the pancreas problem about having Patches sprayed, at that time I was still thinking about letting her have a litter because of her sweet temper and her beautiful black and white markings. With my own heart surgery, and Griff health problems time and my memory going south, it was a forgotten that she should be sprayed.
At the clinic the veterinarians tried everything possible to assist Patches in recovery. Surgery was performed late Sunday evening and she seemed to be holding her own. She was in critical condition all of Monday but stable. I had called checking on my baby several times during the day. Sometime on January 10, 2011 after her surgery Patches suffered a stroke. When the veterinarian on the evening shift called to report this latest development as to why she was not improving to me; the prognosis was grim.
Griff and I drove to the clinic to be with Patches and decide what was best. It would be the hardest decision I would ever make in my lifetime. Do we try to extend medical services with more pain to our daughter or do we become the guardians of allowing her the dignity of a loving and pain free final rest.
In an exam room we were allowed to visit and assure Patches how much she mean to us, and that we loved her so very deeply, that we would never let her hurt again, that she would forever be in a joyous surroundings running free or just sitting in sunlight until she was tired of it, eating all the best doggie cookies and having fun. That Rex would be her constant companion until we also took our places beside her. Until our time; our parents who are also in the cosmos of stars and dust would also be watching over this little soul.
We gave our consent to allow the two injections to be administered. The first shot is an sedation, and the second shot is to stop the heart.
At 8:45pm January 10, 2011Patches went running off to a field of flowers in a huge garden with lots of fresh dirt perfect for digging in, plus a never ending pile of little rocks for tossing; while Rex barked in the background alerting her to his presence.
As we had Patches cremated; her ashes will be spread this spring and summer in many of her favorite spots in our yard along with a few of our favorite areas of Alaska.
A special thank you to Diamond Animal Hospital and Harthaven Pet Cremation Services for their cards and assistance.
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