Petlife logo

And then, my dog died

Cheers to the roaring twenties and Covid-19

By J. MDPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
Like
And then, my dog died
Photo by Serey Kim on Unsplash

As if these endless days in quarantine weren't enough, life wanted to really get some quality time in with me. Normally, I'm down but this time? Hard pass. Seriously, what is going on with this year? I get that I am no one you have ever heard of. I will never be famous or rich. So, why in the absolute fuck am I sitting here crying to myself wishing I had a time machine? I think we all need a do over.

We came into twenty-twenty with our eyes wide open and bloodshot, making resolutions to quit smoking, quit drinking, quit eating. Nothing prepared everyone for the year to come and the sloppy clean up after.

I had been trying to recover from the debauchery that was my life at the moment by spending countless hours on the phone trying to get the car dealership that screwed me over to take responsibility for their actions. I needed them to process paperwork that would allow me to recover the losses to the brand new truck my oldest son had wrecked. It has been weeks and I haven't heard from them. I'm still completely perplexed how a business that treats their customers this way is still standing.

My poor dog had just underwent surgery because of a growth he had. He was making a huge improvement as we were on day two of recovery. I was still concerned he had not had a meal yet. When we called the vet she told us to give it some time, my concern was he was also diabetic. If he didn't eat a meal soon he might have some adverse reactions. My concerns were justified because of his diabetes, unfortunately I would be proven correct as my dog went into seizures early that evening. My poor boy, my dream dog. He was having a seizure right before my very eyes and I stared helplessly, without thought and motionless, I asked my husband what to do. He didn't know either, even though I was hoping he would. He left with our sweet boy to the emergency room. I stayed behind as to not alarm the other two dogs we had but we knew they already knew what was happening.

Driving to the emergency room I remembered the day we adopted our first fur baby. He was picked up by a family member who asked us to hang onto him for the night. They had two dogs of their own and didn't want any adverse interactions. My husband was dead set against it, I even remember the rugged side eye he was giving me when I told him I had already said we would watch him. Dragging his feet he came to the living room where this scruffy fur ball was already making himself comfortable on our couch. My husband bent over to talk to him and this tailless canine, without missing a beat licked my husband on the face and that is how my husband fell in love with a small fluffy dog. Something he vowed to never do, boy was he wrong!

My husband and our dog were the poster children for the term "man and his best friend", they went every where together. At the time my husband was living in a different state and he would take our dog with him on these road trips. They were a duo. We actively tried looking for his owners for a little while, we even thought we found them. Secretly triumphant, he was not the dog she was looking for. We were both excited. Surprisingly enough this little pooch replied to the name of the dog we thought belonged to this woman. Cody.

Cody filled us with laughter, he caused a little mischief around the house. Like the time he hid a peanut butter egg in a hole he dug. He gave himself away by coming into the house with dirt around his snout and the tiny package of candy in his mouth. If we had to go anywhere without him it was a guarantee his little head would be sticking through the blinds as soon as he would hear our car pulling up to the driveway. He was so loyal, when he was around my husband he never needed a leash.

"Are we doing this for him or for us?, my husband asked me. I knew in my heart what my answer was. "I think it would be selfish of us knowing he is in pain." I could hear my husband sobbing as he talked himself into doing one of the hardest things he has ever had to do. When I arrived at the animal hospital we both could tell we had been crying uncontrollably. We said our good byes to our sweet boy. He left such a beautiful imprint on our hearts, but we miss him so much.

My husband spent the next day sleeping and crying. It was hard to watch his heart hurt so much. I would do my grieving early in the morning so I could be strong enough to help him throughout the day. I didn't think a dog could cause us to be so heart broken but we were. I also didn't help that earlier in the month I lost my ex-mother in law to lung cancer. Combined with all the other misfortune we had been experiencing from earlier months, this particular month I guess was just the final thing in that moment that hit us like a ton of bricks. We spent some time talking about the funny things Cody did around the house.

"I hope he knows how much we miss him and how we will always love him." I quietly said to my husband, pausing methodically as to not burst into loud sobbing. I could hear my husband sniffle. "He knows." He said to me wrapping me in his arms and kissing me on his forehead.

It's been about three weeks now, we are doing better everyday. It is amazing the impact Cody had on our lives. You never know how much love you are capable of giving, we found out how much when a scruffy little dog made himself comfortable on our couch.

dog
Like

About the Creator

J. MD

After my time in the Navy I decided to go back into writing. I always loved writing, I still have so much to learn and re-learn. I want to leave something behind for my children and their children. I always welcome positive criticism.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.