Losing One of My Best Friends

Well, my master plan of blogging, taking care of my son, keeping up with my housework and working full time was an utter failure. I haven't felt like blogging because I'm constantly so tired that I'm usually in bed and asleep before 9:30 pm.  We also had a loss in our family. My sweet dog of 10 years had to be put down two weeks ago. Two months ago he was diagnosed with lymphoma. We kept him comfortable for a month and a half. Unfortunately, we had to make the decision to put him down because he was in pain. At the end he couldn't get up on his own and had obvious discomfort when walking. For the last 10 years he was my friend, child and companion. Luke was my first child and left a significant mark on my life. So, I feel that it is up to me to tell his story.

Luke helping me make jewelry.

When I graduated from college my parents wanted to give me a special gift. Luke was a rescue dog from Virginia that ended up in Vermont. He was living with a dog trainer because he had some special needs due to prior abuse. Before ending up with the trainer Luke had 5 owners and his quirks had three families return him to the shelter. The trainer only allowed me to adopt Luke after I interviewing me and meeting my family. My parents picked him up from her three weeks before I was done with school. I came home the next weekend to bring home a load of stuff and to be with him.

Our first meeting was interesting, he was skittish and wanted nothing to do with me. That is until he saw me petting and loving the family cat. At that point he realized I was good people and we were bff's ever since. I found out quickly he was a one woman dog, and he merely tolerated everyone else. My poor, patient husband often found himself growled and barked at, especially if he was approaching me or entering a room I was in.

After my graduation, I moved back in with my parents (thankfully only for a short time, but that's another story). The first few weeks were an adjustment, he was only a year old and was full of energy. He loved running and playing fetch, he could chase a ball for hours. However, I soon found that he would start limping after these long hours. His back left hip would cause him pain, which for a young dog was not normal. I brought him to my family vet and they did x-rays on his hip. The x-ray showed that he had bone fragments and scar tissue between the head of his leg bone and the hip socket. The vet believed it was from prior abuse, likely being kicked. After discussing the risks and benefits, I had the vet surgically remove the fragments and scar tissue, which gave him more mobility and stopped him from being in pain.

The mental trauma was a fear he carried with him his entire life. Even though he was truly loved and given the best care, he was still scared of men and showed that fear by barking and growling. He would become very agitated when he felt cornered, he would bark and growl at the person he felt was cornering him. Thankfully, even though it never fully went away, it did lessen with time.

Being Luke's human changed my life. Trying to help him with his fears and insecurities gave me a first hand view of how abuse can leave a permanent mark. I will never view animal abuse or rescue animals the same way I did before Luke entered my life.

RIP Luke