Seymour was a wonderful, tri-color Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who entered my life 4 months short of his 11th birthday. For whatever reason, his owners, his original owners, no longer wanted him. Nearly all of my dogs have been rescued, and he was the easiest dog I have ever re-homed. He fit into my pack of 4 the first night as
if he had been there all his life.
In no time at all, he made himself at home and quickly became a member of our family. His health was good except for a heart murmur, which was indicative of MVD, a heart condition common in Cavaliers.
Seymour loved my other 3 dogs and my cat. He was especially close to Misty, one of my cocker spaniels, and Cricket, my other cavalier. Seymour and Misty were both “chow hounds,” and loved to eat. In fact, they lived to eat. Misty was a few months younger than Sey, but they were close to the same age. One of my favorite memories is one Christmas when my mom came down to visit.
She forgot to shut her bedroom door. We went up to her bedroom for something, and discovered Misty and Seymour devouring a fruitcake she had brought with her – it was almost all gone by the time we found them! Thankfully, it had no alcohol in it, and neither of them suffered any adverse effects. Seymour usually had impeccable manners, but one time, he unexpectedly jumped on the couch beside me (his former owners had apparently trained him to stay off furniture), and grabbed half of my ham sandwich. I was so startled because this was not his typical behavior, but he was such a sweet dog, I couldn’t get mad at him!
When my beloved cocker, Misty, was older, and, unknown to us, sick and dying from cancer, Seymour looked after her and shared his bed with her. I believe he sensed long before it was apparent to us that his partner in crime was very ill. He was a great source of comfort when she died, too. A few months later, when I adopted two more cockers, Seymour welcomed them into the family. He was such a wonderful, accepting dog. That was a year and a half ago.
A week ago, 9/18/03, we came back from vacation a few days early to find that he had become quite ill. He was fine one day, and then suddenly went downhill. He could no longer walk or even hold his lovely little head up. Although he was alive, he had no spirit at all. When we took him to the vet, she ruled out the heart condition and stroke based on symptoms. We did not do an autopsy due to his age (14-1/2), but our vet feels it was multiple organ failure. Since he had lost a little weight, there may have been some cancer involved. But it was obvious he was suffering, and we didn’t want him to suffer any longer, so we made that most difficult of decisions. It was so hard, but we knew that was what he would have wanted. he was a very dignified dog, and this was the least we could do for him, since we couldn’t make him well. It has only been a week and we miss him so much. It is strange how even in a multiple pet household, the absence of one little personality sure
leaves such a large void.
Although he lived many years, he was only with us for a short time – about 3-1/2 years. But he enriched my life so much those years, and we feel privileged to have shared our lives with him.
Rest well, my love. Thanks for the love,
good times, and memories.
You are forever in our hearts.
Much love always,
| Dixie Westmoreland |