Thursday, February 19, 2009

Silas


This is a picture of our dog, Silas, taken on his last day, a few hours before we took him to the vet to be euthanized yesterday.

Silas came to live with us on Easter Sunday in 1998. A professor of Jeff's from graduate school told him that an acquaintance of hers was trying to find a home for a dog that had been abandoned at a local dog park. This friend was often the first one to arrive at the park in the morning, and one day, there was Silas. Someone had slipped him into the park with a note around his collar saying that he had been found wandering around Town Lake, but that his rescuer's landlord wouldn't allow keeping him. We met Silas at the park a few times, and decided to try a sleepover Easter weekend. That sleepover lasted nearly 11 years.

He loved all people, especially kids, but other dogs not so much. He liked the idea of chasing cats outdoors, but was cowed by any that he met inside. He was never a cuddly animal. He liked to be nearby, especially during thunderstorms, but was content to sleep a few feet away. He snored and chased squirrels in his sleep. He adored Jeff's father. He had no interest in fetching anything tossed on dry land but was absolutely compelled to retrieve anything thrown into a body of water. He was quite skilled at catching food tossed to him. He loved going to the groomer's and the vet's office and seemed to be very popular at both places -- he could really turn on the charm when he wanted to. He loved to ride in the car and was known to jump into strange cars if the doors were left open. He had a very accurate stomach clock that announced mealtimes to the second -- but mercifully, it was flexible on weekend mornings. Whenever we came home, he was always waiting to greet us at the top of the stairs.


Last fall, after some unusual accidents in the house, we took him in for a checkup and some test results warranted further investigation. An ultrasound confirmed that he had a rather large and seemingly fast-growing tumor on one of his adrenal glands that was also impinging on his aorta and causing symptoms of Cushing's syndrome. Although usually treatable, the form that Silas had was not, and due to his age, Jeff and I decided take a course of making him comfortable and waiting. We knew that we would have to make a tough decision when the time came. This past Sunday evening he stopped eating and he became increasingly wobbly over the next several days. So we made an appointment with the vet for last night. It was very difficult, but very necessary.

He was a good dog. We are really going to miss him.

16 comments:

  1. Oh, I am so very sorry. My love to you and Jeff.

    ~jene

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  2. So sorry to hear about it, Steven. :(
    Lots of hugs to you and Jeff.

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  3. Oh Steven. What a difficult thing to go through...sending lots of love your way...

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  4. Oh, Steve, I'm so sorry. I know how hard it is to lose a pet who has been with you for so long. (And I laughed at the idea of him being frightened of indoor cats.)

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  5. Aw, Steven. Silas was so lucky to have you and Jeff, and my heart goes out to you for the decision you had to make.

    Eleven years is a good, long time with a best friend.

    xo
    S t a c i

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  6. Oh honey, I am so so sorry. Sounds like he was a good friend and one lucky dog.

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  7. I'm sorry, boyfriend. We have that excellent photo of the 3 of you on the wall and I'll move it to a more prominent place today. We're thinking of you!

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  8. What a sweet pup he looks and sounds to have been. And how lucky, to know his people were with him when it mattered most. We should all be so lucky.

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  9. Such a handsome old man.

    I never met Silas, but you've told me so much about him over the years -- though I never knew he was a water-loving dog! -- and I know how much he means to you. He had a lifetime of happiness with the best dads in the world.

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  10. Dagnabbit, I forgot to sign my comment again. "Such a handsome old man ... " Uncle Cliffy

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  11. I am so honored to have met Silas last April. He seemed so kind. My heart breaks for you. You are in my thoughts.

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  12. aw, so sad. i know exactly how hard this is. hugs to you and jeff. sounds like he had a great long life and was loved dearly.

    xoxoxo

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  13. So sorry for your loss - it's never easy to lose the puppins. Hugs to you.

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  14. So sorry to hear about your loss! I'm thinking of the two of you.

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  15. Steven - I am so sorry - I know how hard it is to make the decision you did. Sending you and Jeff warm thoughts....

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