My Baby Gus

It was a hard season this Christmas.  I am thrilled about all the time I got to spend with my family, seeing my sweet baby nieces (they are not so much babies anymore), spending time with my mom and dad, celebrating my mom's 60th birthday with a surprise, having a shower for baby Abby, seeing extended family I haven't seen in a long time...The list goes on and on.

However, it was hard.

If you have been to our house, you have met our crazy dog, Gus.  Gus Grissom.  He is a wild little guy with tons of energy and all he wants to do is play, get on your lap, and eat quesadillas.  While in Michigan I had to make the decision to put him down and it was by far one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.  If you  have ever had a pet you love, you know exactly what I am talking about.  That little guy was my company, he sat with me when I cried, he jumped in my arms when I was happy, he went on walks with me....He was my baby.  I know I will soon have a real baby and my mindset will change, but I loved that dog and still do.

While I was in Michigan, out of nowhere, Gus ruptured a disk in his back making him paralyzed from the waist down.  There is no known cause for this and it came on rather quickly.  I don't want to go into all the details here...That is the sad part, and I would like to focus on his happy life.

Over the next 6 days he took a turn for the worse.  He lost all bowel control, still had no feeling in his legs, and the steroids he was on to reduce the inflammation in his back started making him sick.  He was in the best of care.  He had someone with him 24 hours a day, even at night they slept by his side.  I am so thankful that for his last couple days here, he was taken care of like a king.  He had his linens changed in his bed several times a day (because he couldn't control his bowel movements), he got to be fed several times a day, he was taken outside and helped up so he could walk with his front legs, he got to smell all the cool smells around the yard, he was bathed and washed several times a day, and the list goes on and on.  He was taken care of and given everything he needed.

The hardest part was when I was talking to the vet and she told me, "Carey, it's time...He isn't showing signs of improvement and chances are he won't be able to walk on his back legs again."  I cried for a long time.  No one wants to hear that about their pet.

The decision I had to make was hard...Put him down before I came home or wait two days and do it when I came home.  My friends did it for me.  They took him to the vet, made sure he was loved and cared for, and gently watched him be put to sleep.  I am so thankful that they were willing to take that on for me.  In the emotional state I am in right now, there is no way I could have walked through that process.

Coming home after being in Michigan was awfully hard.  I found myself driving slow on the road just so I wouldn't have to pull in the garage...I just didn't want to walk into the empty kitchen when I was used to walking into a dog ready to jump into my arms for some cuddles.

Some things I will miss about Gus:
1. Him laying down on the kitchen floor shaking uncontrollably waiting for me to pet him when I walk in from work.
2. Him eating the food I drop when I am cooking
3. Crawling into bed at night with his crate next to me
4. Him sitting on my lap or right behind me EVERY time I sit at our computer desk
5. Talking to him during dinner
6. Watching him run outside determined to catch the birds at the bird feeder
7. Dressing him up in "dog clothes" and putting him in all of Abby's stuff
8. The way he sniffs my leg when I have been around another dog saying, "What? You betrayed me today!"
9. Going on walks
10. Having him as a companion when I went to get the newspaper, mail, take out the trash, etc.
11. Playing hide and go seek with him in the house.

The list goes on and on, that puppy was my companion...The house is lonely without him.  I know it will soon be bustling with the excitement of my mom, baby Abby and Steve, but it's hard being here right now.

In the midst of all this sadness (I know, I am rambling about this dog, but I loved him....) there are several things I am really grateful for:
1. The care he received while I was gone was incredible, I couldn't have asked for or even thought of a better way to take care of him.
2. Friends that came to clean up all his stuff in the house so I wouldn't have to do it on my own.  There were several things that I forgot about....Like his bell at the back door.  We didn't train Gus very well, however, one thing he knew how to do was ring the bell at the back door to go out.  He didn't have accidents in the house, he just sat there by that door ringing his little bell....
3. Friends who took care of his vet bill...
4. Being by my family and having them all support me and talk me through this.  Even Russ, my brother who doesn't like dogs, walked through this with me and listened to me cry several times about Gus.

I have so much to be thankful for and I am just thrilled I have friends and family that care for me like they do.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Gus:

Movie night in our backyard...It was cold outside so Gus had to cuddle under our blanket.

Notice: Our dog is begging under the table...Figures.

Just after a regular day...He always climbed in his crate at about 8:30 pm and I would have to drag him out right before I went to bed to take him to the bathroom.

Exploring while we were camping...He hated going in the water...

I tortured him with the baby stuff...This is after I put together the stroller.

Another cold night while camping with our favorite K group friends....I had to bundle him up to keep him warm because he was shivering.

Some people call this cruel...we call it exercise! He was always exhausted after those roller-blading trips!

One of his last pictures.  Thanks Mary!

I will miss you Puppy Dup!