| Goodbye dear little Luther
Luther died about 4:15 this morning. He just had his six month old birthday yesterday.
We knew when we got Luther and his sister Georgia Rae that both had sever heart murmurs and that their lifespans would be anybody's guess.
Luther had his neutering appointment yesterday and all went well. He came home late yesterday afternoon, and last night was periods of rest and restlessness - nothing unexpected.
Shortly after 4 a.m. Luther whined in his crate like he needed to go outside. He was panting a bit, and we figured that was still discomfort from his neutering. We put him outside with our senior dog Diva. (Luther's sister Georgia Rae is overnighting at the vet's - she was spayed yesterday.)
A few minutes later I went out to bring the dogs in and he was resting peacefully on the porch. At first I thought that the cool porch much have felt good for him and helped him relax. Then I realized that the little guy wasn't resting. He died. :( Fortunately not alone. Diva was there to see him out of this world and into the world of the other animals we have loved and still miss. Rotties Raunzer and Guinness will welcome him to the Bridge tonight.
I'm going to miss this little guy so much. I've never seen such beautiful eyes on a dog.
He was gentle and loving. He was learning how to be a farm dog and had already mastered the skill of cleaning Connie the cow's ears. He liked to watch TV in the evenings with us. He was showing us bits and pieces of the dog that he was to become - but then his life vanished so suddenly that we can hardly believe that he's no longer with us.
His body is resting on a mat in the back of the SUV, waiting for a last car ride in the morning when we take him back to the vet's office, and hopefully Georgia Rae will have done well through the night and be ready to join us for the ride back home. I'm sure she'll smell her brother and wonder why he's not there. Senior dog Diva will have to explain it to her in a way dogs can understand.
Goodbye dear little Luther. You are a good dog and we love you. Raunzer and Guinness will take care of you now, and your heart will never again put any limitations on you. Not that any heart defect was ever able to put any limits on your ability to love and be a wonderful, sweet, amazing little dog.
Rest easy Mr. Luther.
Lynda & Pat  |