I'm lightning this candle in honor of our dog, Patches, who passed away suddenly in the comfort of our home just hours ago. She seemed perfectly fine beforehand; she ate a good breakfast and everything. Then, this afternoon, when we were going to take her and our other dog, Cassie, outside to do their business, I saw her lying lifelessly on the living room floor. I was sure I had seen her alive not even an hour before that, so that just made it even more shocking.
It was so sudden, we think her heart must have just stopped or something. Actually, at her last checkup, we were told that all of her lymph nodes were swollen, and that she may have had cancer. If I remember correctly, we were even told that her death could come suddenly one day, just as it did today. Additionally, she recently developed a strange growth on her forehead. Maybe the cancer had spread to other areas, and her body finally decided to just give in. Even so, she didn't seem to be suffering at all; she was slowing down slightly due to old age, but still had plenty of life in her, right up to today.
We adopted Patches about 11 years ago from the local shelter, when she was a little over a year old. She had been at the shelter for a long time before we came along. Actually, if we hadn't adopted her, there was probably a very large chance that she would have been put down there, since nobody else seemed interested in taking her home.
Patches was a very unique dog. We're very sure that she was an Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, and if she wasn't pure, she had to have had a lot of the breed in her, at least. She had the strangest, often awkward mannerisms, but she was so affectionate and cuddly. She would just stand there and let you cuddle her for as long as you wanted with no protest. Sometimes, she would just stand there and stare at you, waiting to be petted. If she really wanted attention, she would then start gently nudging your arm or hand with her snout. Then, whenever you would pet her, she would then flop down onto her side and roll over so you would pet her belly. She did this basically every time anyone would pet her for a long enough time, to the point where it was pretty much a running joke.
Whenever we'd give her a big, special treat to chew, she would parade around with it in her jaws for a few moments first, with her little stump tail wagging. Then, after she got this out of her system, she would then go and find a good spot to settle down and chew. When she was really excited, especially about going outside, she would sort of spin in a circle, hop like a bunny, and sometimes start walking sideways as you approached the door.
She also had a very unusual habit among dogs; she watched TV. She didn't just stare blankly at the screen, either; it looked like she could actually tell what she was seeing on the screen. If an animal--especially an exciting one, or another dog--came onscreen, her ears would perk up, and she'd move closer for a better look. Sometimes, when animals would leave one side of the screen, she would run out of the room in the direction they went, looking for them. Then, she would come back into the living room through the other entrance, having completed a full lap of the first floor and found nothing. Also, when she would lie on the floor, such as while watching TV, she had a tendency to elegantly cross her front paws.
When we first got her, she was so quiet, we weren't even sure if she had a bark. When she did finally bark, it was the squeakiest little noise, and we were so surprised. xD Her bark did get a little deeper and more natural-sounding over the years, but it was still kind of high-pitched. She had the cutest howl, too. Often, when I play certain musical instruments (usually the ocarina, but sometimes with the melodica), Cassie starts howling, and Patches would sometimes join in a little, too. <3
Honestly, I'm just extremely relieved that she didn't have to go through years of severe deterioration and suffering before passing away, and that she didn't have to go because we chose for it to happen. She went quickly, naturally, with full dignity intact, and in the place where she felt most comfortable.
RIP, Patchy. <3
~2006 - April 6th, 2018
- Patches in 2011
- HNI_0081.JPG (56.41 KiB) Viewed 130 times
(The pic is old--from about 2011--but she looked basically the same then as she did today.)
(PS: Although I am heartbroken, of course, I think I'm even more concerned about how her adoptive sister, Cassie, is going to get through this than how I will. As a human, I have plenty of ways to cope, but Cassie's an extremely sensitive dog, and she and Patches were very, very close. I've never had to help a dog deal with a loss before, and I just hope she'll be alright. </3)