My Beloved Dog

My beloved dog Sandy. Picture taken on May 18, 2004
 

I still remember clearly the day we bought Sandy.  On a warm spring day, my Mom and I went to a place by Queen Street to look at a litter of golden retriever puppies.  We did a ton of research on the type of breed we should buy, where and who we should buy it from.  At the end, we decided to buy it from a reputable independent breeder (i.e. not from puppy farms or the local pet store).   

The day was May 30, 1991.  It was my last year of high school and I was about to leave home to attend the University of Waterloo.  Being the only child in the family, I guess my parents needed something else to take care of while I was gone.  As we went inside the breeder's home, we were presented with this incredibly cute puppy.  The breeder put her on top of the table and we could see that the puppy was shy and somewhat scared.  We read in the books that we should look for the most playful and aggressive puppy in the bunch, but we were so mesmerized with this little puppy.  The love was instant.  The decision was made.

Over the 13 years of Sandy's life, she has given us so many wonderful memories.  The ones that I remember the most are usually those that show Sandy's human characteristics.  When Sandy was younger, whenever we gave her a doggy biscuit, she would take it to her designated eating area and play with it first.  She would toss the biscuit up in the air, see it land on the ground and repeat that several times.  Then she would use the carpet that's in her designated eating area to "bury" the biscuit.  After a while of doing this ritual, she would then eat the biscuit.  It was a bizzare ritual but you could see the joy on her face.

On Friday, May 7, 2004, Sandy became ill for the first time in her life.  We took her to the vet and he examined her blood and her heart and everything was fine.  Her heart was still beating strong.  Over the next few days, Sandy just rested and had hardly any energy.  She could barely get up to do her nature call.  At times, I had to pick her up (all 75 pounds!) to take her outside or up the stairs.  I really thought that Sandy wasn't going to make it through this.  However, God showed mercy.  Within the week, Sandy was healed from whatever illness she had and her spirit came back.

However, on the night of Wednesday, June 9, Sandy became ill again.  The next day when I came home after work, Sandy was lying at the front of the door.  She looked up at me and wagged her tail ever so slightly.  I leaned down, patted her on the head and thanked her.  That was the last time Sandy showed any consciousness of her surroundings. 

During the night, her condition worsened and by next morning, she had lost her bladder control and other bodily functions.  She could not stand up anymore and her head was tilted to one side.  Before I went to work in the morning, I carried her to the backyard to do her business.  As I was putting her on the grass, I lost my balance and the both of us fell to the ground.  It wasn't a long drop, but Sandy did go face first into the ground.  The expression on her face was priceless.  It was as if to say:  "Dude, what da heck are you doing to me?!".  It was sad but at the same time it was quite comical. 

By the time I came home for lunch, Sandy's condition became even worse.  I prayed to God asking Him for mercy and asking Him to take Sandy away so that she doesn't have to suffer anymore.  I thanked God for blessing me with such a wonderful dog. 

After work, we took Sandy to the vet.  This time, the vet said he could not help Sandy anymore and suggested that we put her to sleep.  My Mom and Dad was not prepared to hear that and was very upset by that news.  For me, I know God answered my prayer.  As a family, we decided that it was the most humane thing to do.  Before we left, we gathered around Sandy and prayed as a family, thanking God for the wonderful gift of Sandy in our lives. 

As we went home that evening, we were all heartbroken knowing that Sandy will not be at the front door greeting us home anymore.

It has been over a month and half now.  God has healed our pain.  Although we do miss Sandy very much, we realize that God has been with us all this time.  My Mom's skin condition and allergies have gotten much better.  All this time, we were suspecting that it was Sandy that contributed to the allergies.  Now that she was gone, my Mom's skin allergies have improved.  So, even though it was painful to lose Sandy, it was a blessing in disguise. 

Thank you Lord for Your mercy and Your providence.  How great thou art!