Then I drove out to my sister's house in Gold Bar to pick up my kids with my mom, and then I had to drive her back to her Everett home, and then to my house. I didn't get home with the sleeping kiddos until quarter after 10 last night. With Jaxson going on sleep-strike lately for whatever reason it is (sick, teething, growth spurt, his diva-esque personality...who knows?) I'm exceptionally tired today. Being emotionally drained from saying goodbye to a pet and then driving to what seems like all over Washington state with a toddler and an infant on a work night is enough to send anyone to the loony bin. Oh well, I'm here and relatively unscathed despite my sleep deprivation.
Anyway, that's not really the basis of my post. What I really came here for was to pay my tribute and send out an impromptu "obituary" if you will for our beloved Riko. My mom, aunt, and I were there to be with him in his final moments, get some last pictures/mementos, and say our goodbyes. I've had pets put down before, but this is the first time I've ever witnessed it first-hand and I've gotta say it's a really tough thing to go through and honestly I don't think the reality of it all has hit me yet. He was the sweetest dog ever. Despite being a Rottweiler, which has sadly been stereotyped as a vicious breed, he's as far as ever from the image he's painted to have. Don't get me wrong...he probably would have torn you to shreds if you were attacking his family or if you were to break into my mom's house. He's protective of his territory and his family, but he truly was the sweetest Rottie ever. We used to say he was a "Rottenweiler" as if he was "bad" or "rotten" because he was never this vicious dog. He'd sit in your lap and roll over so you could rub his belly, he'd wag his stubby tail at you in delight and he was always so excited to have visitors and was very adamant about lavishing you with wet, sloppy kisses. He always had a very playful nature and I'm really gonna miss him.
Things went "well" (and I use that loosely given the whole idea of the situation). Riko was scared at first because he didn't know what was going on and he was feeding off of my mom's emotions and he could tell something was wrong. They gave him a sedative which relaxed him enough to the point where he almost seemed asleep. His breathing became labored and shallow and they soon started up his IV. And that was it. Just like that. Gone. One breath...and then none. Nothing. At 6:47pm on January 6, 2010 (which also happened to be my mom's other dog's 8th birthday), our sweet Riko finally drifted off into his eternal slumber, finally free of his cancer forever. While I miss him, I'm also thankful that he's no longer in pain. The vet assured us this was the best decision for him as no dog has ever survived a diagnosis of osteosarcoma...and at least this way he went peacefully at home and in the arms of family members who love him and will miss him. The vet and her assistant were very nice and gentle and I know they will take good care of him. He's being cremated and they made three plaques of his paw print for my mom, sister, and me to keep as mementos.
The recovery process has now begun. Please pray for healing especially for my mother because despite her brief moments of calm, she really is not handling this well. Time heals everything and it will heal this loss as well but her grief is fresh and I hope it doesn't swallow her. She'll be surrounded by family a lot in the coming days and weeks to make sure she comes through this in one piece. She knows that this was the best decision to make in this situation, but she's still faced with living without her Riko and that's very hard for her to stomach.
In closing, I'd like to leave you with pictures of Riko in his final hour.
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Riko the Rottweiler aka: Riko Nutter, Nutter Butter, Suave, & Black Boy
Born July 26, 2002 - Died January 6, 2010
Rest in Peace buddy... you will be missed.
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