She was absolutely the BEST mom to him. She kept him tethered to her belt with a leash when she was schooling and he was napping. He slept in her room so she could get up with him in the night and she taught him hand signs to obey and to keep him safe.
He was born in Wyoming where we first met him and brought him home to Colorado. He jumped and played in the snow with us. We moved to Arkansas and he flopped his big body in the grass to soak up the sun then got up to drink and slobbered water all over the place. He grew to be huge. And gentle. He laid his head in our laps when we sat and leaned against us when we stood. He tried to walk between our legs to make sure he got petted all over. Such a good good boy.
As Buzzy grew, Laney grew. She got her first job and went to college. She bought his dog food and fed him every morning. He was happy every day when she got home. He slept on a crib mattress in the house and was quite a pampered boy.
This past year we noticed Buzz starting to slow down. Oh he still ran around the yard with our other dog. He still wanted to join us on walks. And sometimes he still galloped around just like a puppy. But he was a bit slower and got tired easier. It was harder for him to get up and down. Laney bought him special vitamins. And I started to pray.
I prayed for God to protect him. To give him good health. That he would not know suffering. And when the time came for him to pass, that it would be peaceful. I prayed this very seriously to God for about a year.
This week it snowed. It hasn't snowed here in about 2 years so it was a big deal. In typical Buzzy fashion, he ran and played a bit and then wanted back in to warm up. But the next day we could tell he didn't feel good. And we found a mass on his shoulder that literally grew overnight. Laney took him to the vet but he just kept getting worse. Then we had blood work done and it showed that Buzzy's system was completely shutting down. There was nothing to do and Laney had to make the decision that she never wanted to make.
Yesterday was an awful day. Buzz kept declining and (of all things) Laney was scheduled to work. I decided that he would not be left alone. He loved his people. So Mallory or I sat with him all day. Right in front or beside him so he would know we were there. Kids kept coming in and out petting him and loving on him.
He was happy when his girl got home and she spent every minute with him.
In the evening our vet friend graciously made a house call. The kids all said good-bye to our sweet boy and Laney held him and loved him until the very last breath and heartbeat.
Later that night I was holding my sobbing girl and crying with her in the bathroom. And she said the words that made me fall in love with my God all over again. She said, "Mom, I just feel loved. I didn't think I would feel this way. But I feel so loved with the way God handled his life. And when he died I could feel him sigh with relief. I'm glad I got to be his last comfort. I don't regret any of it. It was all worth it. "
I will never get over this.
I will never get over the fact that God gave 10 years of perfect health and protection to our dog that was of a problematic breed. I will never get over God giving him snow on the last day that he would feel well enough to play. I will never get over the fact that God heard and answered every one of my prayers about no suffering and that He even went above and beyond to allow Buzzy to pass away in the arms of his girl in his own home. And I will never get over how much God made Laney feel loved.
Never.
