My life with dogs
I have been a dog lover for as long as I could remember. I didn’t have a dog in the first few years of my life, but I acted as if my grandma’s dog was my own. After years of tears and temper tantrums, I finally got my first dog, a wheaten terrier, in kindergarten.
I wanted to name my male puppy Sparkly or Rosie, but my family obviously objected and we settled for the name Wheaty. Wheaty was definitely a character. He would eat food off of the table when nobody was looking and lick your face until it became saturated with saliva and drool. But despite all of this, he was the best dog anybody could ever ask for. We took him on long walks, runs in the park, and up to Vermont for ski trips. He was universally loved. Unfortunately, my seemingly healthy eight-year-old dog unexpectedly passed away right in front of my eyes. One evening before a family dinner, my family and I gathered around the bathroom on the main level of my house and watched Wheaty’s chest heave up and down in slow motion as he struggled for air. His tongue was dangling out of his mouth, resting on the cold bathroom floor and his head inched towards us, reacting to our sobs and screams. The veterinarian said he most likely had cancer and the tumor popped. However, I am still convinced that he had a heart attack or stroke because he showed absolutely no symptoms of illness his whole life.
I was devastated by the death of my first dog, my best friend. It was so weird to not be greeted at the front the door with kisses, to not have someone constantly by my feet, and to not have to worry about the location of my food. After a few months of recovery, we bought a Portuguese water dog and named her Nellie. After taking Wheaty’s death the hardest, it became known that Nellie is my dog. In my eyes, Nellie is perfect. She loves to swim, play fetch, cuddle, and people watch. However, throughout the years she has had a ton of medical issues. She had a full hip replacement before her first birthday, has suffered from anorexia, and has a nervous disorder called Addison’s disease. With all of her issues, we did not want to have to go through the feeling of not having a dog if (God forbid) something did happen to her. That’s why we got Chloe, our second Portuguese water dog.
Unlike our other two dogs that we got at eight-weeks old, we got Chloe when she was a year older. The breeder was planning on training Chloe as a show dog due to her beautiful markings and body structure, but after deciding not to, she put her up for sale. Chloe was definitely my mom’s dog. She would follow her from room to room and act as her shadow. The interactions between Nellie and Chloe were hilarious. Whether playing tug-of-war with a dog toy, sharing a bed, or feeding off of each others’ barks, it was very evident that they were best friends.
The hardest part about going off to college was without a doubt, leaving my two little furry rascals behind. My mom constantly calls me and sends pictures, but it’s not the same. In October, my dad called to tell me that Chloe was diagnosed with a fatal disease where she can’t keep protein in her system. He said that she was all skin and bones, was having difficulties going to the bathroom, and could barely walk up the stairs. I was shocked because she was so healthy when I left for college, but I was even more shocked at the fact that we had to put her down to take her out of her suffering. I was lucky enough to fly home to say a final goodbye to my baby girl, but I have not yet completely accepted the fact that she is gone because I am thousands of miles away from my New York home, where I would be constantly reminded.
So that is my life story with dogs. I am lucky enough to have a dog that I adore so deeply, but still so devastated by the unexpected deaths of two of my dogs. My love for dogs spreads beyond just my dogs. I am the type of girl that stops strangers and asks to pet their dog, that hangs out with my friends’ dogs instead of my friends, and that smiles every time I see a dog’s face outside a car window. I am a proud dog lover.
I wanted to name my male puppy Sparkly or Rosie, but my family obviously objected and we settled for the name Wheaty. Wheaty was definitely a character. He would eat food off of the table when nobody was looking and lick your face until it became saturated with saliva and drool. But despite all of this, he was the best dog anybody could ever ask for. We took him on long walks, runs in the park, and up to Vermont for ski trips. He was universally loved. Unfortunately, my seemingly healthy eight-year-old dog unexpectedly passed away right in front of my eyes. One evening before a family dinner, my family and I gathered around the bathroom on the main level of my house and watched Wheaty’s chest heave up and down in slow motion as he struggled for air. His tongue was dangling out of his mouth, resting on the cold bathroom floor and his head inched towards us, reacting to our sobs and screams. The veterinarian said he most likely had cancer and the tumor popped. However, I am still convinced that he had a heart attack or stroke because he showed absolutely no symptoms of illness his whole life.
I was devastated by the death of my first dog, my best friend. It was so weird to not be greeted at the front the door with kisses, to not have someone constantly by my feet, and to not have to worry about the location of my food. After a few months of recovery, we bought a Portuguese water dog and named her Nellie. After taking Wheaty’s death the hardest, it became known that Nellie is my dog. In my eyes, Nellie is perfect. She loves to swim, play fetch, cuddle, and people watch. However, throughout the years she has had a ton of medical issues. She had a full hip replacement before her first birthday, has suffered from anorexia, and has a nervous disorder called Addison’s disease. With all of her issues, we did not want to have to go through the feeling of not having a dog if (God forbid) something did happen to her. That’s why we got Chloe, our second Portuguese water dog.
Unlike our other two dogs that we got at eight-weeks old, we got Chloe when she was a year older. The breeder was planning on training Chloe as a show dog due to her beautiful markings and body structure, but after deciding not to, she put her up for sale. Chloe was definitely my mom’s dog. She would follow her from room to room and act as her shadow. The interactions between Nellie and Chloe were hilarious. Whether playing tug-of-war with a dog toy, sharing a bed, or feeding off of each others’ barks, it was very evident that they were best friends.
The hardest part about going off to college was without a doubt, leaving my two little furry rascals behind. My mom constantly calls me and sends pictures, but it’s not the same. In October, my dad called to tell me that Chloe was diagnosed with a fatal disease where she can’t keep protein in her system. He said that she was all skin and bones, was having difficulties going to the bathroom, and could barely walk up the stairs. I was shocked because she was so healthy when I left for college, but I was even more shocked at the fact that we had to put her down to take her out of her suffering. I was lucky enough to fly home to say a final goodbye to my baby girl, but I have not yet completely accepted the fact that she is gone because I am thousands of miles away from my New York home, where I would be constantly reminded.
So that is my life story with dogs. I am lucky enough to have a dog that I adore so deeply, but still so devastated by the unexpected deaths of two of my dogs. My love for dogs spreads beyond just my dogs. I am the type of girl that stops strangers and asks to pet their dog, that hangs out with my friends’ dogs instead of my friends, and that smiles every time I see a dog’s face outside a car window. I am a proud dog lover.