July 02

My dog died late last night. It seems most appropriate that it's raining cats and dogs today.

Pogo was unique. Dog lovers knows that every dog has a distinct personality, and Pogo was no exception. He was wickedly intelligent and had a strong will. Part border collie, part husky, genetics played a joke on him. He had the broad chest, thick fur with undercoat, and curly tail of a husky, but a tiny rear end, short legs, and face of a border collie. That didn't stop him from trying to herd Boyfriend and me to where he thought we should be. He was the runt of the litter when Boyfriend's parents picked him as a puppy, but in his youth he could leap snowbanks and, when excited, would simply jump up and down, over and over. My sister-in-law told me that was one of her first memories of Pogo, jumping continuously like that.

Pogo's health had been in decline for the past year. He had a tumor taken off of his belly last July. Last October, he became diabetic. Cataracts took most of his sight in February. Still, he ate heartily and was still adept at climbing the stairs and getting up onto the king-size bed with us to sleep. When he got very sick last night and couldn't keep his food down, Boyfriend took him to the animal hospital, where he declined quickly. I left work early to go there with him. We talked about it and agreed that it was time to let Pogo go.

He went quickly -- within 10 seconds -- after the injection.

The folks at Parkway Veterinary Hospital -- Dr. Segal, Dr. Higgins, Dr. Mekler, Sandie, Heather, Nancy, all of them -- are phenomenal caregivers, both for Pogo and Pretty Boy, our cat, and for Boyfriend and me, their two overanxious owners. And the emergency staff at the MSPCA's Angell Memorial -- especially Dr. Clark -- were kind, comforting, and thoroughly professional.

It seems absurd to eulogize a dog, but I've never been one to shy away from absurdity. I know that we made the right decision for Pogo, and we made it at the right time.

183/365 -

Today's Photo of the Day was taken on Christmas Day 2007.