We had to say goodbye to a family member last weekend. He was the best pet we could've ever asked for. He was so kind, gentle, and loyal..seriously the best dog I have ever come across.
We went up to my uncle's cabin in Idaho last Thursday. We had Brandon's dad watch Kuda while we were gone. He didn't want Kuda in the house because of all the hair, totally understandable, so he was going to keep him in the back yard. Anyway, we were so excited about this trip because it's the only thing we had planned to do all summer and we were so ready to get away. Well we had a good time during the days, but the nights were a nightmare. Talin would constantly wake up all disturbed and wouldn't go back to sleep unless we were holding him. He's never slept in the pack-n-play before and never slept in a strange cabin. And we were so worried about him waking everyone else up. So we decided to leave a day early, Saturday instead of Sunday. We figured it would be the best thing for all of us. Well up there in Idaho we had no cell service because we were in the middle of a forest. Once we started driving away and got service again we had a bunch of voice mails. First we got a voice mail from a guy named Mike who said Kuda had been hit by a car and had a broken foot. Brandon called the guy and he said Kuda was picked up by Animal Control. We were so upset and worried about him, but we couldn't do anything because we were still in Idaho. Brandon also had a message from his dad saying that Kuda had gotten out of the backyard Friday night and they drove around for 2 hours looking for him. I guess an 80 year old man hit him with his truck and started knocking on people's doors because he didn't know what to do with him and didn't want to handle the situation. He knocked on 2 people's doors before Mike helped out and called animal control to come pick him up. Kuda got hit around 10 pm Friday night and didn't get picked up till Saturday morning. He laid in pain for hours! It just makes me sick knowing that guy didn't want to do anything about it. He has no heart. Well since we were still in Idaho, Brandon's dad went and picked Kuda up from Animal Control and took him straight over to the vet. As soon as we got home Saturday evening Brandon rushed over to meet his dad at the vet. Apparently Kuda also had a broken back and was having a hard time breathing. Brandon called me to tell me that his injuries were worse than we thought. The vet said Kuda would need surgery on his foot. He said that he would still always be in pain and would bear his weight down on the other foot which would eventually lead to him having arthritis. Then he said if we were even able to find a doctor that would touch the back surgery, that would cost at least $1,000. We don't have that kind of money to spend. So we had to think about what would be best for Kuda. Even if he had the surgeries done he would always be in pain and wouldn't have a very good quality of life. I took Talin to my mother-in-law's and rushed to the vet right away so we could have him put down. I was an emotional wreck all the way to the vet. As soon as I got there Brandon and I just hugged and cried together. The vet wheeled in Kuda and he looked horrible. His fur was all black from tires and laying on the pavement all night. He looked up when we said his name, but he was so out of it. We pet him and said our goodbyes and then we watched him get uthenized. It was awful. It was sooooo hard to let him go. But I just knew that he was out of pain and in a better place. The rest of that night we just cried and cried and thought about all the memories we had with him. We only had him for 2 years. When we moved into our house and Brandon would work graves and long days, Kuda was the one that kept me company when I was lonely. He was my bud. He was my protector. People might read this and think, 'What's the big deal? It's just a dog?' But he was more than that. It really felt like we were losing a person, a part of our family. We loved Kuda so much. At least we have the memories to look back on. He was the best dog. We will never forget him.
2 comments:
I'm so sorry Jen! Pets really are special and not even fully loved and understood by anyone but their mommies and daddies. I know the pain of losing a pet but not one that I actually picked out, purchased, and took care of. I can only imagine how you must feel, but I sure dread the day when our Moe has to leave us. Ironically, my sister-in-law is going through the same pain as she just had to put down her two kitties of 15 years yesterday. I'm so sad for you!
Reading this made me cry. Pets become part of the family. It really hurts to lose them. We lost two of our cats this year and it was devastating. I remember how it was when our dog Bandit died. It just breaks my heart. And yet, they add so much to our lives that we still get more pets :) I am so sorry you had to lose him.
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