June/July 2013 - Community Connections

Community Connections Page 26
June/July 2013
Saying Goodbye
By Ron Kesseler
For those of you that are animal owners
and lovers, you will understand that our
animals become part of our family. We
often speak to them as if they were human,
with instructions on what to do, when to go
out or where not to go, fully expecting that
they understand our every word. Dogs and
cats are the most common of house pets and
there are hundreds of sizes, breeds and
appearances, all of which are endearing to
us, their owners. We take care of them by
feeding, playing, taking care of them to the
best of our ability, all of which is in return
for LOVE.
Animals in contrast to humans, for the
most part only wish to please their
“masters”. Dogs want to run and play or
rest … cats just want to be stroked and
pampered when they are done “exploring.”
If you are a reader of my articles, you know
that I had two Chocolate Labs, Bubba and
Maggie. As is common with the breed of
Labrador Retrievers, both my companions
suffered from epilepsy. Because we cared
so much, we, along with our vet, tried
numerous medications and dosages to give
them the best quality of life possible.
Bubba succumbed to sickness and age in
2009 leaving Maggie to mourn his loss with
us. Maggie didn’t seem too upset at the
beginning, until we went camping. We left
her alone for about 10 minutes while we
were talking with neighbors. All of a
sudden we heard a loud howling noise
coming from our campsite. It was Maggie
in her first display of grief in being without
her brother and the loneliness was
something she had never experienced. It
was a very sad moment for us as well.
Maggie became independent over the
next few weeks learning to cope alone. As
a distraction, I would take her out more than
before. Maggie’s favorite game was
HOCKEY! I would have to take a ball and
my hockey stick and try to get the ball past
her. She got so good she could have been
signed up by the Habs!
Maggie would follow us anywhere,
stopping at friends' houses. She would come
in and stay by my side and never wander
unless I called her. She never would go for
food on tables or sneak treats unless they
were offered. She was a great traveler,
welcome almost anywhere. Her favorite
place was the campground we have been
going to for over 30 years. She loved to run
around always looking over her shoulder to
make sure I was near. She never ran after
other dogs, cats, raccoons, etc., but not
because she was afraid, she just seemed to
know it wasn’t alright.
In February past, we came in from
outside and Maggie greeted me at the door
as usual, tail wagging with an almost visible
smile, waiting for me to say … “Wanna
play?”
I reached down and scratched the scruff
of her neck and I felt a small lump under
her neck. It didn’t seem to cause her pain,
so I decided to wait and watch closely for
changes. Two weeks later the lump had
grown to about the size of a marble so I
took her to our family vet for a check up.
She said it could be an infection or possibly
a tumor. We had previously removed small
growths on her lips which were pea size.
Over the next few weeks the lump doubled
in size, so our vet took a sample for testing.
Three days later she called and said Maggie
had carcinoma. We were devastated. She
told us that at the age of almost 13, she
suggested watching the growth and should
it hamper her breathing, we would have to
make a decision about putting her down.
Maggie continued to run and play
hockey with me every day, with her ears
perking up like a pup’s ears and although
she couldn’t play for as long as before, she
enjoyed every second. We began to notice
the lump had grown to the size of a golf ball
and was irritating her. She would rub on
the floor and would love it when I scratched
it. This let me know that the stretching of
the skin was bothering her.
Maggie slept in our bedroom on her own
pet bed turning in at the same time we
would. Every night when she would lie
down, she let out a big sigh as if to say,
“That was a good day!”
Knowing the end was approaching, we
decided last week to take Maggie to the lake
where she enjoyed herself the most. She
ran and would stop with that “Are you still
there?” look and I swear I saw a smile on
her face. For some reason, she kept running
back to me and walked at my side,
periodically sliding her head on my leg and
looking up at me. After two days of her
having good times, it was time to go home.
Maggie was getting old and could no longer
jump into my truck so I lifted her to the
back seat as usual and onto her favorite
blanket in preparation for the three hour ride
home. This time seemed different. She
wasn’t able to relax she seemed out of sorts
and wouldn’t lay her head down as she had
hundreds of times in my truck. The ride
home was strenuous, just because I knew
something was up. She wouldn’t drink
water and didn’t even perk up when I asked
her if she wanted a “treat” which she would
usually do back flips for.
We arrived in the driveway and as usual
she stood up knowing she was home. I
opened the door, scratched her scruff and
picked her up. I put her down in the
driveway and she spotted her hockey ball so
she turned to pick it up. As she did that she
let out a sharp cry and raised her left rear
leg. She then ran around the front yard her
leg in the air yelping every time she would
attempt to put weight on it. I ran over to her
and scooped her up and ran into the house.
She was in obvious pain. I called my son
and asked him to come over right away.
Unfortunately it was 5:30 Saturday evening
and our vet’s office was closed as were all
local animal hospitals. My neighbor (who
is my vet) was away at a conference but her
husband suggested DMV Veterinary
Hospital in Blainville because they were
open 24/7.
After a call, my son and I took Maggie to
the vet who after a quick verification said it
appeared Maggie had either a dislocated or
fractured hip. When I explained she had
carcinoma, the vet told me it had probably
spread to her bones which would cause
them to become brittle. A decision was
made there to put her out of her pain. With
my son cradling her body and me her head,
the vet asked if we wanted some time with
her alone, I said, “No, it was time, no more
suffering.” The vet then proceeded and
Maggie went to sleep in my arms. She went
peacefully and surrounded with love.
As a police officer I have witnessed sorrow
and grief, but because it was expected of
me, without showing emotion. Well, I must
say, my son and I cried like babies all the
way home, and it was not a good week at
the Kesseler household. We had Maggie
cremated and she now rests next to her
brother Bubba at her spot at the
campground, the place she loved the most.
We now have two cats and 12 fish to
occupy our time and I’m not sure, but the
latest cat we rescued a few weeks ago loves
to follow me around and is constantly
rubbing her head on my leg while looking
up … a coincidence? I guess. So long old
girl, you will be missed.
Until next time, these are my thoughts.