Light A Candle in Loving Memories

Today, as the sun set over the city, I watched Hershey as she slept and reality set in. I knew that from this moment I would never see Jake and Hershey together. There would never be another day where I would take them both out to the park or for a car ride. This would be the end of a wonderful journey with my beautiful Jake.

Today was the day that I would say goodbye to my Jake.

The day began like any other day. I took the dogs out for their morning pee. A friend of mine asked if he could come along. At first I was reluctant as I wanted this day to be a private one for me. But then I realized that he would be able to capture the complete day
with photos and video.

First and foremost I wanted Jake to have the best day ever. I took him for a swim with Hershey and as much as she enjoyed swimming, Jake was having a hard time. It was so tough on him that he almost went under twice and really wasn’t having fun.

I then took him to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone. He really enjoyed that cone. He had it all over his face and he loved it so much that he practically bit my fingers off.

After the cone, I realized that he would be leaving me on an empty stomach and I didn’t want that so I brought him to A&W for a burger and fries. He was so cute eating his fries from the container and then to see him eating his first and last burger was funny. He woofed it down so quickly I don’t think he even chewed it.

The time had come for Jake to go; he had lived a great life and will be sadly missed but near the end he looked tired and sore and ragged and it wasn’t fun for him anymore. He wasn’t the same dog that we all grew to know and love. His hips could no longer support his weight at a point where he had to cut his pee short or risk falling down. He didn’t want to go for walks anymore, his breathing was labored; he couldn’t hear anymore and he had recently developed an eye infection.

His coat was matted as he no longer wanted me to brush him because his hips were sore. Towards the end he really wasn’t the same dog. That’s why I finally made the decision to put him down. His quality of life was severely diminished and I couldn’t stand to see him suffer any longer no matter how difficult it was going to be for me to say goodbye.

Jaguar’s Sir Jake passed away in my arms silently and without fuss. He nuzzled his nose into my arm and took one last breath. As he laid there I held him and told him I loved him and that he was a good boy. I stayed with him as long as I needed to and tried to memorize every angle of Jake for one last time. I kissed him and touched him and held him and stared at him some more.

I walked away feeling that I had made the right decision, but as the day went on I began to feel the loss and became sad and began to question my decision. When I got home I removed Jakes
things and put them away.

He will be sadly missed, but he is no longer suffering now. His heart is still but his love is forever.