If you follow this blog at all, you know I’m into tropical fish, and I keep a lot of them, both in terms of numbers and variety of species. What you might not know is that I also have two dogs, and the difference is night and day. While you can form a bond fish, you just don’t form the same kind of bond you do with a dog. A dog is a member of the family, playing a role that a fish could never accomplish.
Both of my dogs are 13 years old, and I took them in to see the vet today for their annual booster shots. My female dog collapsed in the lobby. The staff took her in back and discovered an enormous tumor in her abdomen. That belly fat–isn’t. It’s fluid and tumor mass.
I brought her home for one last night with the family and will say goodbye to her tomorrow morning. It came as a complete surprise because she showed no behavioral changes whatsoever until today. It’s very sudden and a shock to all of us, to my girls especially.
This has deflated the good mood I had when I left the DMV with a new driver and a new learner’s permit (daughter and son respectively). I’ve never had to put a dog down before. This is going to be tough.