Meathead was a large red Lab-Boxer mix who we adopted
to be a buddy for our first dog Bummer.
The first day we met the lady who owned him let him out
of her tiny yard in her townhouse to run in the front yard.
The big grin on his face was matched by the even larger one
on my husband’s.
He brought us endless delight for several years and
was large and scary looking but was the gentlest of dogs.
He used to howl when the schoolbuses and UPS trucks would go by
and when it came time to give out the doggie treats he would sit patiently,
a long ribbon of drool running down his chin onto the floor.
At night the dogs always get a little time in bed with Mom and Dad,
and at the signal “time for sleeping” (to go into the kitchen) he would
inevitably play possum and have to be pushed off the bed.
Sadly Meathead developed Lyme disease which we did not discover
until the late stage. We tried for weeks to cure him with antibiotics
and blenderized food praying for him to recover.
As an intensive care nurse I was even able to get IV fluids from the vet,
and give him intravenous fluids at home when he became dehydrated.
The day finally came when we decided the kindest thing for him and the
hardest for us was to let him go. We took him to the vet and held him
while he received the shot. My husband was able to whisper
“Go with God Meathead” into Meathead’s ear as he died.
We were beside ourselves with grief and it took a long
long time for the grief to fade.
The gods are good though for grief does lessen over the years
but our love for him keeps the memories alive.
I like to look out at the night stars and think of Meathead
running endlessly never tiring. I call him my “joyous sky dog”.
We are honored to have had him in our lives and look forward to
the time when we will see him again.
I’ve often said that if there are no dogs in heaven then I don’t want to go.
All you have to do is spell dog backwards…..
See you Meat.
M. Peterson,
Dumfries VA.
| Meathead |