May 22 1992 —– Dec. 14 2001
Dog
Our dog blessed us when I was 12 years old.
We adopted him from a man whose dogs
had “accidentally” created him.
My parents picked him out of the litter
because he came right up to my dad & licked his hand.
They met the caretaker at a veggie stand called “The Vegetable Patch”.
He also had a white patch on his chest
when he first came to us
and so my little brother named him Patch.
Patch was a Vizsla which are a breed of hunting dogs
that originate from Hungary.
They are similar to Weimaraners but are a rust color.
He was the best dog anyone could ask for.
I am away at college right now and was not there for his passing.
When I was home for Thanksgiving
we could tell that something was wrong.
Within 3 weeks he was dead. He was only 9.
We think that it was cancer but it took him before we had a chance to fight.
He passed away just a few hours after returning from the vet.
My family decided to spend quality time with him over the weekend
and then we would say goodbye.
But he couldn’t wait.
We don’t think he was in much pain which is a huge relief.
Initially I wanted everything to be done
to make him hang on until I could come home from school.
I just wanted to see and pet him one more time.
I know he wasn’t the same dog but I didn’t care about that.
I just wanted to say good-bye.
I have to admit that I’m not handling it as well as I thought.
I can’t believe that I’m never going to see him again.
I bounce between grief and denial.
When I came home from school he was the happiest one to see me
waiting with a wag & a smile.
He would talk to me on the phone
when my mom would hold the phone to his ear.
He could do all kinds of tricks.
He was only allowed in the kitchen but would sneak out anyway
to be with us.
Patch would be really quiet and slow
as if we couldn’t see him walk through the family room
if he was quiet enough.
Patch was always by our side:
emptying the garbage washing the cars doing laundry cooking
celebrating special occasions & holidays.
Nothing will ever be the same.
I know that he’s not suffering anymore
but it’s still hard to comprehend
that I’m never going to see his sweet face ever again.
I pray to St. Frances to care for his soul.
I ask for strength during this unbelievably difficult time.
Patch puppy babe…I miss you so much.
We were supposed to have more time as a family.
But know that we love you so very much
and that we will never forget you.
There will never be another like you.
Thank you for blessing us with your unconditional love
for the past 9 years.
We love you.
Stacy
| Patch |