GOOD-BYE COCO–SWEET DREAMS
01/28/03
How can I say good-bye to this sweet, caring creature?
How can I roll up all the years of devotion, of loyalty, and love in a few sentences?
I first met Coco 15 years ago. He was born in St. Helena, CA, one of seven puppies. He was very dark brown and weighed only 4 pounds. We liked each other right away. I started to drive him to San Rafael in a cardboard box, which didn’t work out very well. In Napa, I stopped at a Feed Store to buy a dog kennel. Coco’s full name as a registered AKC dog is Coco Rutherford Coverdale. I believe him to be the son of champions, although this was never verified.
At first, we took Coco everywhere. Safeway had some problems with that. On vacations, he had a ball. We went camping with him, long car rides with overnights in dog-friendly motels, and were very seldom apart. He didn’t stay in a kennel overnight until a year ago. We had our children pinch hit for dog sitters since they had dogs and
we returned the favor.
Life began to be difficult last May of ‘02 for Coco. He couldn’t control his bowels or his urination. We changed vets and were very happy to have Dr. Jeff Williams care for him. Coco began a new diet of canned food called “ID” and was given plenty of vegetables. We took him on frequent walks (4 or 5 per day). The problems seemed to be history.
In the past few weeks, however, Coco started to show severe signs of aging and loss of quality of life. He had lost most of his hearing by now. His cataracts were forming to blot out his eyesight. Finally, he seemed to lose his sense of smell. His little tail ceased to wag.
We still continued to take him on walks but, because of his blindness, he dug his heels in and refused to budge. I would pick him up and carry him down the block to the place he would do his business and set him down. Afterward, there was the carrying back home. It must have been humiliating for the poor guy.
Coco was extremely unhappy.
That brings us to this day, when it is necessary to put him to rest. How sad is this? How heartbreaking to lose a friend of 15 years? Some marriages don’t even last that long.
Good-bye dear sweet puppy.
You will be in my heart always.
In my heart always,
| Coco |
| 28, Jan 2003 |
| Bill & Cathy Coverdale |