Eight Lives to Go: So Long, and Thanks for all the Slobber

They say after a time, dogs and their owners start to resemble each other. Nine years ago they gave Satcho 2-4 months to live. Four months ago a tumor in his mouth gave him a few weeks. But Satcho did things in his own time. Just like Nick.

I knew something was wrong when he didn't want a "Tina Treat " - his favorite snacks homemade by Tina Cavaco, a high school friend. He'd decided it was time. He stopped eating and drinking three days ago, and his canine buds Tyson (Petra & Uwe) and Buddy (Jeanette) came over last night to say goodbye. Jozi would've completed the Fearsome Foursome, but in a horrific turn of events, she died of bone cancer last Monday. It hurts so much because we love them so much.

After a wonderfully summery warm spell, winter made a surprise reappearance yesterday. Just for him. He hadn't been able to walk in a couple of days, so Nick carried him outside this afternoon to lie in the snow, his favorite place to be (preferably in the shade).

A bit later we went outside to scratch his head and neck, and he was gone. I mean, his body had disappeared, not his spirit yet. And there he was, on the other side of the house, on a dwindling patch of snow. He even picked where he would leave us.

Melting his final snow patch

The vet came at 4pm. What a long, long day. Satcho lifted his head off the snow, looked at all of us, then laid his chin on my hands and started to snore. The vet was barely done pulling out the needle when his head became heavy, his jowls wrapped around my palms and that was it. No struggle or resistance, no shudder or exhale. He just went to sleep.

What a magnificent being he was. A dozen years ago as Nick and I sat in a Mexican restaurant in Cortez, having just met the whole litter of beyond-cute furballs, we could never have known what a good match this puppy would be for our family. What an incredible mountain climber he was, three-legged or four-. How protective of his future sisters. How much his calm demeanor would mirror Nick's, and with what bravery he would accept the amputation of an important body part. Neither Nick nor Satcho let that come between them and doing great things.