Farewell to my best friend

In the end, she had me at “Hello”.

I knew that my future roommate had a cat, but had forgotten about the dog when I took her keys to check out my future apartment. As I entered the apartment for the first time, I was greeted by a blindingly fast ball of white light that torpedoed me in my chest and knocked by back into a leather recliner. Her name was Shy and at the moment, this 12 pound ball of energy was currently greeting me with a myriad of kisses all while shaking in the “I don’t know you” matter.

And thus began nearly a ten-year  run with this neurotic/lovable mutt that would my best friend and loyal companion.

As I came to find out, this was a rescue dog and “Shy” was short of her given name of “Shylakeisha” And while she technically was my roommates dog, she was pretty much all already. While I did not choose her, she chose me and quickly became “my dog” within two months of moving in. And from the beginning, I saw what a quirky, loyal, companion this would be.

We hit it off from the start, as the first and only trick she ever learned was to eat cheese cubes and random snacks off the cat’s head. Even though it warranted her the occasional smack from the irritated cat, Shy continued to perform for my amusement, with the only intent to please me and make me laugh. Even though she lived semi-peacefully with the cat, any  other cat , duck, or squirrel encountered outside the house would be chased up a tree or into a pond with glee. But unlike other dogs that would immediately run away when off a leash, she would always return promptly to me.

Here is the nagging look when I got home too late at night for her liking

And that was all she really wanted in her life … was to be next to me.

And she made her intention known to me. Early trips to the dog park was met by her ignoring all the other dogs and wanting to just be around me. And when someone approached, she would get behind me and look out from behind me. It’s obvious that I was her protector and it’s a role that I relished. Unfortunately her health was not the best.

It’s still a mystery to my vet, but Shy had a degenerative ligament condition that hampered her mobility. The little dog that used to go outside and run circles around me could not run anymore, and gradually could not walk without a limp, and then could not walk at all. As painful as it was to walk her struggle to walk, she did not whimper or complain at all. Even though it seemed to sap her injury, she would crawl her way into the living room to sit at my feet while I ate or watched TV. As long as she was near me, she was OK.

And about that time, I knew how this movie was going to end.  And I bargained.  “As long as she is pain-free” … and I would trail off, knowing my ultimate responsibility.

Thankfully, I did get a few years out of her in her relative pain-free state.  And despite her handicap, her personality and mind stayed strong.  She would still find a way to make it into my office when I was working whenever those Florida thunderstorms popped up.  And she never missed a dinnertime opportunity to help me finish my plate and get her late afternoon belly rubs.  Through it all, she never let on any pain or discomfort .

Until recently.

And after a lifetime of companionship and loyalty, I had to reward her and allow her some dignity.  Her mind is still strong and that is what made today’s decision so tough.  Even with her pain and whimpering, she would still do her best to get close to me.  Even though she could not get on the bed anymore, she made her bed right at the side of my bed and greeted me with her wagging tail every single morning.  But when the whimpers and cries of pain started to greet me, I knew that my day of responsibility was here.

And so it is.  And unfortunately, I had to put my beloved Shy to sleep at 7:30AM this morning.  It was probably the hardest thing I’ve done, but I guess it was the “right thing to do”.  And I hope that my Shy gets the peace she deserves.  She really gave me so much and asked for nothing in return.  She saw me through the death of my parents and was always the thing that made me smile no matter what.  And I could not watch her suffer even a minute more than she had to.  So she is at peace now.

I’ll miss you Shy.  Thanks for being the best dog ever.