Our Dog Scooter (10-21-2005)
My name is Sean and I am writing this for my dog Scooter who is a 7 year old Black & Tan Cocker Spaniel. He came to us at the age of 3. His birthday is July 6, of 1998. So he has been a part of our family for 4 1/2 years now. He was adopted from the Humane Society by my best friend’s brother Mike and his wife Tanya. They had him for a very short period of time and were considering taking him back to the place they had saved him from. Luckily we had just moved into a new home and was looking for a new pet.
My best friend Marc called me and we drove about 30 minutes to go see him. When we walked into their house we could see that Scooter was a little timid and in desperate need of a haircut. Tanya stated that the reason they could not keep him was that he had back-slid on his potty training and they were both working so much that they did not have the time to spend with him. So, they had to keep him in a cage all day while they were at work, which was really no different than the life they took him from at the shelter. Scooter warmed up to us quickly and we knew right away that we were going to take him. The look in Scooter’s eyes and the story they gave us about him was all we needed.
When we left that day, Scooter came with us. The story we heard about how he ended up at the Humane Society was that the original owners had to move and were not allowed to have pets, but in the end, we found him. We brought him home and he settled right in, no more cage, no more being left alone, he was home. We did have a time with him getting him potty trained again, but it did not take long. Scooter turned out to be an important part of our family.
My Grandma June lives here with us and Scooter became her pride and joy very quickly, the bond they have is one that is built from love. We could not have asked for anything more in a dog, okay, maybe he is a little hyper and barks too much, but that’s just what makes him who he is. Shortly after we got him, I also gained custody of my son Dylan, and he came to live with us. Dylan is now 7 and he loves Scooter very much as do us all. Scooter waits every day for Dylan to come home from school, and sometimes I take him with me to go pick up Dylan at school. Scooter loves to watch all the kids come out from school, and when he spots Dylan his little stub tail and butt is shaking so fast it shakes the car.
I am writing this because we recently received some bad news about our beloved Scooter. On October 16 2005 I noticed a large lump on one side of his belly. He had been acting a little odd for a week or so before I found that, but we could not pinpoint what the problem was. I called the vets emergency phone right then and made an appointment for the first thing the next morning. Grandma June and myself took him in to get checked, the vet said it was a tumor.
I already suspected this might be the case, but when he said it I got a lump in my throat and my eyes started to water. My grandma just sat there emotionless, but I know deep inside it was hurting her. The vet took a biopsy of the tumor and sent it to get tested, and on October 20 2005 the dreaded call came, it was cancer. We had hoped it would be benign, but as fast as it came on him, I knew different. Scooter is not that old to have this problem, and his life is going to be cut short because of this terrible disease.
He seems fairly normal right now still other than the fact he has lost about 12 pounds over the last few months or so. He is still eating well and drinking plenty of water, and he is still in the mood to play with his squeaky toys and tennis balls which he so dearly loves. He has started licking at the area where the tumor is so I know that he knows it’s there and that it is bothering him, I feel so helpless, so powerless.
The vet does not recommend surgery, and I also can’t stand my little buddy being sliced open like a fish. It breaks my heart to sit here and write this, but I am doing it as a tribute to our beloved Scooter. I went and got some medicine from the vet called Metacam. It is derived from a medicine that is used in human cancer patients to ease the pain and discomfort.
I am going to try to keep him with us as long as possible until it is obvious he can’t take it anymore. I don’t want Scooter to suffer at all, but when the day comes to end his life, it will be the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and I hope I can find the strength to do it. Even thinking about
it tears me apart inside.
I am going to attempt to document all I can on this passage until that dreadful day comes so that we can remember him in his final months of life. I am going to be recording him with my camcorder and taking lots of pictures so we can remember him just how he is. I would never wish anyone to go through this, and for anyone who has, I am sorry.
10-21-2005: I just finished writing the above portion, Scooter is the living room laying on the couch with Grandma June, it is obvious he is starting to feel the early affects of this hated disease. I am going to take them to the park today so he can play and investigate for a while. I am taking my camcorder to get some footage. Me and Grandma took Scooter to the Reservoir in Findlay and the park. It was a little chilly and nasty out so we were able to take him off his leash and let him run since nobody was out today. The water was a little choppy today and he was a little reluctant
to get close to the water.
I think he took a pee on every tree and post out there hehe. He was really happy today and I was able to get a lot on the camcorder of him today. After that we came home and played with his toys for a long time, he is really in a good mood today and very playful. I just got back from taking Scooter with me to pick up Dylan, he really enjoys that and Dylan looks forward to being greeted by his buddy Scooter!
10-22-2005: I am not going to be here today, so I am writing this early. I spend every weekend at Gayle’s house. I will try to document what I can each day. This is also why Scooter is so important to us, because Grandma is here alone every weekend, and has only Scooter to accompany her until mom gets home from work every night. He is going to be missed more than anyone can possibly know! We all love him!
10-23-05: After I got home I fed Scooter his dinner and gave him his medicine. He has pretty much been the same and has been keeping Grandma June company all weekend. Thus far I do not see any changes in him, still seems playful and happy as can be. I hope it continues
this way for a long time!
10-24-05: Just got home from work a while ago. I fed Scooter his dinner along with his daily dose of Metacam. He stills seems in great spirits, maybe he will be with us longer than anyone expects, I hope so! I stopped at a pet supply store in Tiffin today on my way home from work. I bought him a couple packs of cookies that are actually treats for dogs, he likes em. I also was talking to the woman there about Scooter having a tumor and I asked if she had anything to help with that. She told me about this stuff she had that someone had brought in to sell her called Golden Treat. She was out of it so I looked it up on the web when I got home. I found a website that sells it. Apparently it is like Calorad, but only for pets. It is supposed to boost their health and immunities. With shipping and all it cost about $34.00 so we bought it. We are going to do what we can to keep him as healthy as possible, and that is a small price to pay for all that Scooter has given us. Crossing our fingers!
10-25-05: Scooter is sleeping on my bed now, it’s pretty late in the evening. I laid with him and pet him and talked to him tonight for a while, he really enjoys that. I am eager for my order of Golden Treat to get here so we can get him on that as soon as we can. All seems pretty well with him so far, but he is sleeping a lot more. Still don’t stop him from barking at the UPS truck and the mail lady!
10-26-05: Scooter seems to be hanging in there pretty well, it is obvious his energy level has decreases over the passing days. I am not sure if this attributed to the medicine I am giving him or not. Wherever we are he just kinda plops down and the floor and lays there, he has never done that. So strange to see him this way, he was such a hyper dog. All he mainly did this evening was lay on my bed and sleep while I played on my computer all night. I wish I had a way to track his weight.
11-3-05: It has been a few days since I have logged any information about Scooter. It is hard to log changes on a day to day basis, it seems like he is still doing ok for now, still eating and playing and such. He is still sleeping a lot though. I will log any changes as the days pass.
11-8-05: Well, I don’t have good news to report about Scooter today. I got home from work today and mom told me that Scooter has been peeing blood all day. That was really not good news and I called the vet about it. The vet told me that the tumor must be attached to his kidney and it is affecting his urinary tract, which means the tumor is spreading. The vet was afraid that was the case which is why he did not recommend surgery for him. I fear that Scooter is not going to be with us for Christmas, and we are all very sad. It’s as if there is a dark cloud looming over our home. The vet says when it seems that Scooter is no longer enjoying life, then it will be time for him to go. On a positive note, he is still eating and drinking water, but it seems that the medicine, the Metacam, is helping his appetite. Without the medicine he probably would not feel like eating. I am going to end for now.
12-9-05: I have not logged any new information on Scooter for a month now. I fear now that he is nearing his end, he has lost a lot more weight, and he is unable to jump anymore. He is struggling with stairs slightly and his appetite is diminishing by the day. I can’t bear to think of the inevitable. I need to call the vet soon to make arrangements for his passing. We don’t have anywhere to bury him, so I guess cremation is the only alternative for us.
I gave him a bath the other night because he was getting pretty filthy. He looks better now and is softer again, but when i got him wet, I could really see how much thinner he was than I had thought initially. Really nothing left of him but skin and bones, and he is not seeming to enjoy life as much anymore, and that is when the vet said that
we would know it is time.
I am not keeping him alive for us, but Grandma June is especially going to miss him and it hurts to think about it. I am starting to accept the fact that he is starting to suffer slightly and he always looks so sad. He depends on us to protect him and keep him safe only this time, the only thing we can do is let him go. I will post again after I make arrangements, I was really hoping he would make it past Christmas, but looks like that may not happen now.
12-9-05 (2): Well, I just wrote the above entry about 30 minutes ago. I went ahead and gave Scooter all of his Christmas presents early. We played with them for about 15 minutes and he just laid down and did not want to get back up. I let him out to go potty and he bled all over as he peed. I called the vet and we are going to schedule to have him put to sleep tomorrow morning. We are all crying as this is a very sad time for all of us. Scooter’s suffering will end tomorrow. As I write this, Scooter lay motionless on my bedroom floor
next to my bed.
I have to leave for a while, but I am coming back tonight to spend the last night with him. I know he misses me when I am gone and I want him to be as comfortable as possible. I will write more then, if there is more to write, he may not even make it until tomorrow the way he looks now.
12-9-05 (3): I had to call the vet back tonight, he started vomiting and he was obviously in pain. I had to end it. The vet charged an extra $75.00 for an emergency visit but I don’t care. He went quickly, only about 10 seconds and he was gone, so peaceful. The vet said that it usually take a little longer, and that he was ready to let go. He fought hard to stay with us, but in the end the cancer beat him. I have a new found hatred for the word cancer. I hope that some day soon they find a cure for it, because it is a relentless disease and it doesn’t care who it hurts. We love him and we will remember him always and forever, we love you Scooter.
You’re in our hearts always!
12-12-05: It is the first day back after we had to lay Scooter to rest. It is so quiet in the house without Scooter around. We are having him cremated and we are having his ashes put into an urn. The urn is a little wooden box that will have a plate inscribed with his name, and in loving memory of our beloved pet. It will also bear the birth date and the day he was laid to rest. He lived such a short life, but it was a lifetime worth that he gave to us. I am slowly going to start packing away his toys and other things, like his food dish and treats. It tears me up every time I see something of his laying here that he will never be able to use again. My only salvation from it is that now I know he is no longer in pain, and that he will be waiting for us in Heaven when we get there with his little tail wagging. We will see you again someday Scooter. We love you and you’ll always be with us.
4/26/06: I can’t believe that I have to continue this, but it seems that this passage has yet another chapter. I had thought the passing of Scooter was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. On 4-23-06 at 7:35a.m. my Grandma June passed away of a heart attack at the age of 81. She had been having some complications since February, but even still, this was a shock to us all. Burying my Grandma June is now the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
Since Scooter and my Grandma June were so close to one another, we had Scooter’s ashes buried with Grandma in her casket. My Grandma was so empty inside after the loss of Scooter, but now they can be together forever. At least we can have some peace knowing that Scooter was not alone for very long up in Heaven.
My Grandma June always said that” everything happens for a reason”, and now I can see clearly what that reason was. Scooter would have never been the same if Grandma had passed first because of the bond they shared. I hope this will be my last entry into this heart breaking passage. We have lost 2 very important figures in our lives over the last 4 months, but we can be comforted knowing, that neither is alone, and that they will have each other into eternity. I am sure she is feeding him some treats right now as I write this. We Love and Miss you both so very much, and I know you’ll both be there waiting for us when our time comes.
You're always in our thoughts, and in our hearts!!
| Scooter |
| 9, Dec 2005 |
| June, Sherry, Sean, and Dylan |