Special to the Star-Herald
This is very personal for me, but I had to share my journey. He had been tossed in a dumpster with his littermates, like yesterday’s trash, found (thank goodness) and brought to the shelter. He was then in foster care and I met him in the small store where I worked. He was just 10 weeks old, black and white with a curly tail. I fell in love.
We brought him home and named him Baxter. At 6 months old he weighed 50 lbs, which we thought was perfect. At a year and a half old he weighed 120 pounds, wow! Baxter was a character! Once he ate half a pan of ziti while we were waiting for dinner guests to arrive (was not funny at the time), and another time stealing a perfectly done steak from my friend’s plate and running like the wind with her chasing him, fork in hand. I remember coming home with a car full of groceries; I carried the first load into the house then the phone rang, I went back outside to find hot wings, yogurt and broccoli all over the yard. I chased that dog around the yard, broccoli in hand-he never bothered groceries again.
He was our camping dog, trustworthy to take up in the Northern Maine Woods for a weekend of fun. Baxter was always there to soak up my tears and ready for a walk whenever I wanted to go. He would sit beside my computer and if I asked nicely “Baxter, sing me a song,” he would howl with me a beautiful song that only I could appreciate. Baxter was the king of his domain, always watchful and keeping the younger dogs in their place.
At the beginning of the month, I noticed he was weak in the hind legs, having a terrible time to get up. I begged and cried, this couldn’t be happening to my beloved dog. I bought hundreds of dollars of supplements for him, but nothing helped. It took just 2 weeks for his hind legs to totally fail him.
On Sept. 12, I sent my beloved friend across rainbow bridge. It was so hard, but he had no quality of life. I probably kept him for selfish reasons a few more days than I should have, and when he left me it was peaceful. I had 12 wonderful years with my boy, going camping, swimming, hiking and running with the four-wheeler. He enjoyed life to the fullest. I can still see him or hear him. He will always live in my heart.
It is hard to know when the time is right to let your pet cross over. It is never an easy decision; it is one you will always second guess. But I feel that they will tell you when their time has come; they lose that sparkle in their eyes, that perk. It is our responsibility as responsible pet owners to do the right thing. Getting old is never easy, but the memories of your beloved pet will live on forever.
It’s funny, I have counseled many people with regards to their pets and when it is necessary to have them put down. But when it came to my own, I really had to lean on my friends for support. My whole family is feeling the huge void left by Baxter’s passing, each day the grief gets a bit easier, but we will never forget.
Bottom line, enjoy life, celebrate life! We never know when our time or the time of our beloved friends will come.
If you are looking for a friend for life, please visit the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, or give us a call at 764-3441. You can also visit us online at www.centralaroostookhumanesociety.org. Please have your pets spayed or neutered.
