Farewell to Another Friend...

Three weeks ago we lost our faithful pure bred Yellow Lab, Dakota.  His health started declining about two years ago, but he was comfortable with medication and lived a pretty normal life until July, when his maladies started to compound.  All it took was the vet’s comment “he’s in pain now and it won’t get better”, and we had to make the decision to put him down.

Dakota was the best dog I’ve ever had, and one of the smartest I’ve ever met.  Our vet, Doc Smith at Hobe Sound Vet Clinic commented once that he was probably started in the Guide Dog program when he was young… he had some very particular and somewhat peculiar behaviors that indicate he was trained for and that mimicked Guide Dog skills, but this isn’t something his previous owners passed on.  We got him when he was two, from a family that got him from his breeder about 6 weeks before (the breeder was moving out of the area and couldn’t take him along).  Unfortunately, the short-term owners found out their toddler had an allergy to dogs, which made for a tearful farewell for them but good fortune for us.

When you have a pet its not like you don’t know from the start that its not forever, but its not something you think about much, and certainly not dwell on.  There’s nothing like coming home from a hard day and being greeted by a friend that’s always just as glad to see you tonight as the first time, wants to play, and gives back as much as he gets or more.  that’s all hard to find in people, and so easy to find in a good pet.  We all miss him, but we’re really grateful for having him choose us as family in the first place…