Pugsy is the best friend I could have asked for. When he showed up on a friend’s back porch, he was just a little furball looking for a good home. The first time I held him he started licking all over my face and I fell in love with him. It took a while, but I eventually convinced my mom to at least go see him .. as soon as we walked in the door she also fell in love with him and he was on the way home with us!! He walked in the house and immediately made himself right at home .. jumping up on my bed, trying to make friends with the cat, and of course he stole a couple of my shoes for chew toys until we got to the store to buy him some!!
He was so loving – he literally followed me from room to room around the house – he never left my side. He loved his “chewies” and going “bye-bye” .. Pugsy was a small dog, weighing only about 20 pounds, so he went everywhere with me I could possibly take him – and everywhere we went all we heard was “that is the cuuuuutest dog I’ve ever seen!! He was very protective of me when a new person came around, but after a few sniffs he loved everyone and
everyone loved him.
Last August (2003) we noticed that Pugsy’s eyes looked cloudy, so we took him in for an exam. The vet couldn’t find anything wrong, so he gave us some antibiotics which didn’t end up helping. By November Pugsy’s eyes were completely clouded and we could tell he was having trouble seeing. I took him back and basically every test imaginable was done – not only on his eyes but his entire system – yet nothing was found wrong. Over the next few months we noticed a change in Pugsy’s attitude. Before he got sick, he was the happiest most playful dog you’d ever seen.
Now he was getting to the point where he barely wanted to play. On May 13th I woke up and found a small sore on his face, and by the time I got home from work that afternoon it had grown about 10 times in size. The sores spread to around his ears, paws, and underbelly and he began having a hard time breathing, and we realized he’d stopped eating. By Sunday the 15th he wouldn’t get off the couch to go potty, I had to carry him in and out. Monday I called off work to stay with him because I knew the end was near.
All day I held him in my arms and cried and told him how much I love him and he just stared lethargically up at me. After all of this, my mom and I made the hard decision that we needed to have him euthanized. That night I fell asleep as always cuddling with Pugsy .. a couple times he woke me up because he was having such a hard time breathing. The next morning when we got to the vet’s office, it took me 15 minutes to even work up the courage to get out of the car.
This was by far the hardest thing I’d ever done in my life. We sat down and talked things over with the vet and just by looking at him it was determined that he had an autoimmune disease which if they are systemic can be very hard to detect or cure, and she agreed that we were doing the right thing. I held Pugsy in my arms as he drifted up to Heaven, I just kept telling him that I love him and I’m so sorry.
I have never cried so hard in my entire life, but I didn’t want my puppy to suffer so even though it hurts I know I did the right thing for him. We brought him home and buried him in our yard wrapped in a blanket with his paw around his favorite “baby” right where we can see out the window, and we put a memorial stone down that reads “If tears could build a bridge, and memories a lane .. I’d walk right up to Heaven, and bring you home again”.
No dog will ever replace Pugsy in my eyes. He was the most unique and special dog that will ever come into my life. His personality was like no other. He was a wonderful friend that I will never forget. I miss him all the time, but I know he’s up in Heaven waiting for me, and he’ll be sitting there wagging his tail happily at the gates when I arrive ..
I love you Pugsy Wugsy ..
With love always for my little buddy boy,
| Pugsy |
| 18, May 2004 |
| Shannon |