A dog lover’s worst nightmare is to lose his/her dog. Dogs bring life to our lives, they greet us when we come home and they love us unconditionally.
That’s why when my little white Maltese, Snowflake, got hit by a car, I was distraught.
We didn’t know who hit him, or what exactly happened. We just found him lying on the side of the road in great pain.
We rushed him to the vet right away and it pained me to leave him there. I couldn’t stop crying and I couldn’t work at all. He’s like family to me.
In my heartbreak, I wrote a short message to him;
“A Good Dog
Runt of the litter. You weren’t expected to make it out because you were small and fragile, but you did. You proved them wrong. You grew to become a strong, proud dog. You would bark at others, no matter their size, ignoring your small stature. In your mind you were our fierce defender, even if that meant simply chasing away chickens or barking at big dogs then running away. You had a personality. You would sneak out at night, chasing freedom. You would roam the streets, and you owned the alleyways.
You would chase freedom again. We couldn’t hold you back.
We wouldn’t anymore.
Thank you for being a very good dog. You meant so much to us. You were a good friend, a snuggle-buddy. You would crawl with us in bed even if you smelt bad. We’re sorry for sending you away when you tried to jump on us with your tiny muddy feet. Oh the things I would give for you to trail your paws on the floor again- no matter how dirty. We should’ve given you more baths, more snuggles- you deserved that. You just wanted to be loved. We hope, in the short years that you were with us, that you received all the love your doggie heart would’ve wanted. That we gave you all the love that you deserved- and more.
I don’t believe in a heaven. But if you would be happier and in less pain, I’d gladly let you go there. All dogs go to heaven. You already made our lives better just by being around.
There’s one less head to pat. One less belly to scratch. Ill miss the way your leg moves when we hit the right scratch spot. But dog heaven just gained an angel.
Keep on playing and frolicking wherever you are.
We love you very much.”
But thanks to the effort of our vet, Dr. Jamis, he didn’t have to go. I didn’t have to lose a friend. Doggie heaven would have to wait- because our Snowflake came back to us.
On our way to the vet, I carried him in my arms, eyes bloodshot and watering. When I picked him up, the other dogs followed me, which was probably their way of asking ‘where are you taking him’? On the first day, we found out that he had broken some of his ribs. His breathing was labored, but he tried to get up. The doctor said if his breathing didn’t improve by morning, we would have to put him down. I cried the whole day. I cried myself to sleep.
The morning after, I went to the vet with a heavy heart. I thought that was the day we’d lose our little boy. But we were surprised. Flakey was breathing normally. This gave us hope, and the doctor said he’s not out of the woods yet, but that was so much improvement. I visited Flakey three times a day, and he would wag his tail and perk up whenever we’d visit him.
On the third day, the doctor said we should try to feed him. He wouldn’t eat. He needed to eat if we wanted to take him out of the vet. That day, he began resting on his front legs. He couldn’t stand up, but he kept on moving around through moving his front legs and kicking with his rear legs. He doctor left some food on his food bowl, and we went home.
The fourth day Flakey was in the vet, we received good news- he started eating. But there was another concern- we had to make sure that he would poop out what he ate. The major damage was at his chest and stomach area. This made us very nervous. It may sound funny, being nervous while waiting for a dog to poop, but that was a reality for us. The doctor said Flakey could go home the next day, which pulled a thorn out of our chests.
The day Flakey went home, I was not around. But my mom picked him up from the vet and she said, the moment they got home, Flakey stood up. He fell back down, but he kept on trying to stand up. He saw the other dogs and he was so happy. There was other good news, too. He finally pooped. Yet again, it’s funny to hear how someone could be happy to hear that her dog is pooping, but once again, that was a reality for me.
The following days, we kept on observing him. We kept him on soft food and kept on giving him water. He started getting up. Then limping, then walking. He kept on falling at this point, but he was trying. He then began trotting, then running. It was then I knew- Flakey was going to get better. We got our dog back.
I still get nervous when my dogs get out, but we keep a closer eye on them now. It made me realize how much I love and value my dogs. Now, even if he still stinks, I give him all the love, snuggles and pets he deserves. He’s a survivor. He deserves all the love in the world – he’s earned it and more.
