Saying goodbye to our "first born"
Six years ago we adopted our first born. He was so quiet and shy -- he had been completely overlooked by everyone looking at all the more energetic, friendly boys and girls. Our boy slept while the others wrestled for attention from potential moms and dads. But he captured our hearts with his one blue eye and one brown eye. He was the one we had been waiting for. We jumped wholeheartedly into parenthood with our sweet pup and fell in love right away. Because of my love for my alma mater Mizzou, we named him after the mascot, Truman the Tiger.
Truman was our source of entertainment and fun. He was so shy when we first got him. He wouldn't go outside to do his business without one of us standing nearby. When we first started leash training, he freaked out and ran back home when we got so far away he could no longer see the house. He waited patiently for me on the front porch, ever the obedient scaredy-cat. He loved playing Frisbee and soon learned to catch treats before they hit the ground. His favorites were marshmallows and Sour Patch Kids. Poor Truman didn't have much of an appetite when we got him so Joe had to get down on the floor, pretending to steal his food. Often when we gave him rawhide treats he would wag his tail, pounce, and bark at the treat as if it were alive. We referred to these incidents as "Truman's Imaginary Friend". One of my favorite behaviors is the way he would cock his head from side to side whenever you talked with him. He had one ear that always stood up higher than the other, so when he cocked his head he always looked confused, like he was trying hard to understand what he was hearing.
He loved to go for rides in the car or Jeep. We took him pretty much everywhere. Walking around with Truman was like being famous. Everyone who met him loved him immediately. He was such a charmer. He never met a stranger and felt that all people were there for his entertainment. Truman had one blue eye and one brown eye. He looked a little like an overgrown Jack Russell Terrier, which gave him an appearance unlike any other dog we've ever seen. We could hardly go anywhere without hearing compliments on how cute he was.
As we transitioned from Springfield to Minneapolis for a job, Truman was our travel buddy and our protector. He always let us know if someone was outside our home -- we never had to wait for the doorbell to ring. Joe travelled out of state a lot that year for work, and Truman was a source of comfort and safety for me as I remained alone in an unfamiliar city. During the warm Minnesota summer, Truman and I adventured each day on long walks around the neighborhood and the park across the street. While we lived in Minnesota we realized just how much Truman hated squirrels and we began to jokingly create Truman-squirrel story lines to explain his strong reaction to them. We theorized that the squirrels must be up to something nefarious and Truman felt the need to protect us from them. While in Minneapolis Truman also made a dog best friend, a St. Bernard named Starbuck. He and Starbuck had such fun games of tag and wrestling matches. We certainly missed Starbuck when we moved away.
When we returned to Missouri, Truman again was a source of companionship as we adjusted to life in a new church pastorate and new community. He got to play the part of superhero in our Vacation Bible School and was adored by of all the children. He loved the attention -- and the treats! He made friends with the neighbor kids and a couple of neighbor dogs who regularly came over for puppy play dates.
Unfortunately, the good life was a short one for Truman. By age five he developed unexplained joint pain that became crippling. We worked closely with our vet as she tried to uncover the source of his pain and to treat it. When treatment failed, she worked to help us find an effective pain management regimen. That seemed to eventually work, but then led to some serious changes in his personality. He changed drastically from a dog who loved people into a dog who routinely tried to bite -- and even attack -- those he felt were a threat. By the end, he felt everyone was a threat in some way and was clearly living in fear of being hurt by others. His behavior was too unpredictable to be safe around our children (or anyone else), which led us to the difficult decision we had to carry out this week.
We felt that it was only right to see Truman through his final moments. My brother made the hour and a half drive with his girlfriend and my nephew so they could say their goodbyes to Truman. While they were with us, we gave Truman his "last meal" -- chocolate ice cream. I suspect he always wanted to taste chocolate and we wanted him to finally have his chance. We played with him as much as his behavior would allow until it was time for everyone to say their goodbyes.
Before we took him to the vet, we gave him a sedative meant to make him more calm throughout the process. By the time we arrived at the vet's office he was groggy and not in the best control of his legs -- he was a bit like SNL's "Drunk Uncle" character. Our vet has a chapel in which they conduct the procedure to put pets to sleep. We were led with Truman to the chapel, which was one of the hardest walks of our lives. They gave him an anesthetic and allowed us time to spend with him as he fell asleep. When he was fully sedated the doctor administered the injection to finalize his entrance to the afterlife. It was a very calm, quiet event and makes me understand why people call it being "put to sleep" because that is certainly how he looked. The vet offered to do an impression of Truman's foot on a small clay disc, which we accepted as a memento.
I still can't think about all this without crying. I think I will continue to cry for a while as I think about this loss. It is amazing to think of how much a part of our lives he became -- and how much of a loss this has been for others in our life, too. Several friends have expressed that they cried for us when they heard because they, too, loved our Truman. He was a good dog and we loved him deeply.
Truman was our source of entertainment and fun. He was so shy when we first got him. He wouldn't go outside to do his business without one of us standing nearby. When we first started leash training, he freaked out and ran back home when we got so far away he could no longer see the house. He waited patiently for me on the front porch, ever the obedient scaredy-cat. He loved playing Frisbee and soon learned to catch treats before they hit the ground. His favorites were marshmallows and Sour Patch Kids. Poor Truman didn't have much of an appetite when we got him so Joe had to get down on the floor, pretending to steal his food. Often when we gave him rawhide treats he would wag his tail, pounce, and bark at the treat as if it were alive. We referred to these incidents as "Truman's Imaginary Friend". One of my favorite behaviors is the way he would cock his head from side to side whenever you talked with him. He had one ear that always stood up higher than the other, so when he cocked his head he always looked confused, like he was trying hard to understand what he was hearing.
He loved to go for rides in the car or Jeep. We took him pretty much everywhere. Walking around with Truman was like being famous. Everyone who met him loved him immediately. He was such a charmer. He never met a stranger and felt that all people were there for his entertainment. Truman had one blue eye and one brown eye. He looked a little like an overgrown Jack Russell Terrier, which gave him an appearance unlike any other dog we've ever seen. We could hardly go anywhere without hearing compliments on how cute he was.
As we transitioned from Springfield to Minneapolis for a job, Truman was our travel buddy and our protector. He always let us know if someone was outside our home -- we never had to wait for the doorbell to ring. Joe travelled out of state a lot that year for work, and Truman was a source of comfort and safety for me as I remained alone in an unfamiliar city. During the warm Minnesota summer, Truman and I adventured each day on long walks around the neighborhood and the park across the street. While we lived in Minnesota we realized just how much Truman hated squirrels and we began to jokingly create Truman-squirrel story lines to explain his strong reaction to them. We theorized that the squirrels must be up to something nefarious and Truman felt the need to protect us from them. While in Minneapolis Truman also made a dog best friend, a St. Bernard named Starbuck. He and Starbuck had such fun games of tag and wrestling matches. We certainly missed Starbuck when we moved away.
When we returned to Missouri, Truman again was a source of companionship as we adjusted to life in a new church pastorate and new community. He got to play the part of superhero in our Vacation Bible School and was adored by of all the children. He loved the attention -- and the treats! He made friends with the neighbor kids and a couple of neighbor dogs who regularly came over for puppy play dates.
Unfortunately, the good life was a short one for Truman. By age five he developed unexplained joint pain that became crippling. We worked closely with our vet as she tried to uncover the source of his pain and to treat it. When treatment failed, she worked to help us find an effective pain management regimen. That seemed to eventually work, but then led to some serious changes in his personality. He changed drastically from a dog who loved people into a dog who routinely tried to bite -- and even attack -- those he felt were a threat. By the end, he felt everyone was a threat in some way and was clearly living in fear of being hurt by others. His behavior was too unpredictable to be safe around our children (or anyone else), which led us to the difficult decision we had to carry out this week.
We felt that it was only right to see Truman through his final moments. My brother made the hour and a half drive with his girlfriend and my nephew so they could say their goodbyes to Truman. While they were with us, we gave Truman his "last meal" -- chocolate ice cream. I suspect he always wanted to taste chocolate and we wanted him to finally have his chance. We played with him as much as his behavior would allow until it was time for everyone to say their goodbyes.
Before we took him to the vet, we gave him a sedative meant to make him more calm throughout the process. By the time we arrived at the vet's office he was groggy and not in the best control of his legs -- he was a bit like SNL's "Drunk Uncle" character. Our vet has a chapel in which they conduct the procedure to put pets to sleep. We were led with Truman to the chapel, which was one of the hardest walks of our lives. They gave him an anesthetic and allowed us time to spend with him as he fell asleep. When he was fully sedated the doctor administered the injection to finalize his entrance to the afterlife. It was a very calm, quiet event and makes me understand why people call it being "put to sleep" because that is certainly how he looked. The vet offered to do an impression of Truman's foot on a small clay disc, which we accepted as a memento.
I still can't think about all this without crying. I think I will continue to cry for a while as I think about this loss. It is amazing to think of how much a part of our lives he became -- and how much of a loss this has been for others in our life, too. Several friends have expressed that they cried for us when they heard because they, too, loved our Truman. He was a good dog and we loved him deeply.
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