One year ago today, Old Grand Dad arrived here at 14 years old. Deaf, blind, and arthritic.He was saved from a rural Ohio pound where he was scheduled for death by gas chamber - a cruel form of euthanasia whereby a volume of animals animals are placed in the chamber and slowly suffocated over several minutes; sometimes much longer. My initial commitment and intention was to foster him until a spot opened up at a canine hospice rescue a few hours away from here. After all, I had 5 dogs already. 6 would be stretching it! And my resident elderly, deaf and blind male, Pappy, doesnt care for male dogs. And Pappy wasnt neutered. And OGD was not neutered. And I had no plans to neuter either unless medically necessary since anesthesia at their ages was incredibly dangerous. And two unneutered males are a big no no. And Im already stretched comfortably thin with my aggressive Jack Russell with whom I need to help her mitigate her life and issues amongst the others. But I made it work. With a lot more ease and grace than you might think :-) So when the spot did open up at the hospice rescue, I passed on it. Though it would have been much easier for my life to let him go, knowing hed be safe and well cared for there, I also knew there are so many other dogs out there who could use that spot. Ones who didnt have any other options. OGD was already safe. OGD taught me many things, one of which was the importance of making yourself adaptable to be able to bend and accommodate seemingly unmanageable situations, as detailed above. While I miss his big furry head terribly, there is no better comfort than knowing he took his last breathe in comfort, and that his last memories in life were awesome ones. The accommodations and modifications made for him were well worth it. I really hope that more people will consider opening up their lives to their own OGD, so that more animals can have the dignity and comfort they deserve in their golden years. Its very little work in comparison to the benefits you help another life gain. Today, one year later, I still have the aforementioned 5 dogs (including the Jack Russell Terrier who is still aggressive as ever :-) ). Oh, and now I have a cat too. Or, rather, OGD had a cat; and I adapted my life, once again, to modify and accommodate in the interest of his comfort and happiness :-) And, once again, it works! Rest in peace and comfort, OGD. And thank you for the candid old man humor you provided
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 18:13:28 +0000
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