Fergus
A donation was made in memory of Fergus by Doctors and Staff of the not recorded on Oct 13, 2008.
The Hardest Day
Recently, I lost my best friend. He slipped away quietly one late September afternoon, and although that day was long expected, the actual event was a shock. It was a day I will always remember.
Over a two year period, Fergus gradually went blind in one eye, lost most of his hearing, developed an abscess on his jaw and had a slow growing tumor in his abdomen. He wasn’t very mobile anymore but could still make it through the dog door. I learned to read his body language to know when he needed to go out to his potty spot, but once out, he would take care of business and come back inside on his own. He loved his dinner and his treats, but he slept most of the day. He chose his favorite spot, right in the middle of the laundry room hallway, where everyone had to step around or over him. He liked to be connected.
That day began with a careful bath because Fergus had soiled his bed, and we had granddaughters coming to visit. The bath was stressful, so I put him on clean bedding and placed a warm dry towel over him, hoping that he could rest comfortably while he dried. About two hours later, he was dry, but hadn’t moved from his bed. In fact, he hadn’t moved at all. So, I carried him outside to his potty spot. I noticed that he was having trouble standing, so I helped out. Then, I carried him back to his bed. I should have been alert to the subtle changes, but I wasn’t. It took the young Scotties to help me out.
For an hour or so, I was doing laundry and cooking, with Fergus just a few steps away in his bed. The Scotties would not leave him alone. They would bark at him, nudge him and pull at his blanket. Then, they would dash outside, bark some more and then come in and repeat their behavior. They did two sharp barks, as if to say to Fergus, “Get up! Don’t be such a lazy bum. Get up!” Again, I went back to my duties, not fully realizing what the Scotties were telling me. I went upstairs to put away laundry. That’s when I heard Fergus bark, and it was a bark I had not heard before.
The Scotties were barking at Fergus and Fergus was barking an unusual short sharp BARK, BARK. Everything became clear to me then. The Scotties were trying to help Fergus and Fergus was trying to let me know that he needed help. His BARK, BARK meant “HELP ME.” He could no longer move and he lay there watching me as I called the Vet. John, who had been golfing, met me at the Vet’s office. John and I got a chance to be with Fergus in a private room. The staff was so kind to us as we said our goodbyes. We cried and thanked Fergus for a wonderful 14 year friendship. He was ready to be relieved of his earthly duties and more than ready to join his partner, Thistle, in dog heaven. As he put his head down that last time, I knew that he just wanted to slip away quietly on that pleasant late September afternoon. I could not have had a better friend than Fergus. It was the hardest day.
I let the family know what had happened so they would be prepared when they came down the next day. My 10 year old granddaughter wrote this poem about Fergus and sent it by e-mail:
Fergus
Fergus was a sweet little pup,
Who always made your happiness go up!
And although he always LOVED to eat,
He wouldn’t say no to a treat.
When you looked into his eyes,
You could feel enough power
To make the sun rise.
He was a fuzzy furry little friend,
But everybody meets their end.
From Makisa
Alison M.
Recently, I lost my best friend. He slipped away quietly one late September afternoon, and although that day was long expected, the actual event was a shock. It was a day I will always remember.
Over a two year period, Fergus gradually went blind in one eye, lost most of his hearing, developed an abscess on his jaw and had a slow growing tumor in his abdomen. He wasn’t very mobile anymore but could still make it through the dog door. I learned to read his body language to know when he needed to go out to his potty spot, but once out, he would take care of business and come back inside on his own. He loved his dinner and his treats, but he slept most of the day. He chose his favorite spot, right in the middle of the laundry room hallway, where everyone had to step around or over him. He liked to be connected.
That day began with a careful bath because Fergus had soiled his bed, and we had granddaughters coming to visit. The bath was stressful, so I put him on clean bedding and placed a warm dry towel over him, hoping that he could rest comfortably while he dried. About two hours later, he was dry, but hadn’t moved from his bed. In fact, he hadn’t moved at all. So, I carried him outside to his potty spot. I noticed that he was having trouble standing, so I helped out. Then, I carried him back to his bed. I should have been alert to the subtle changes, but I wasn’t. It took the young Scotties to help me out.
For an hour or so, I was doing laundry and cooking, with Fergus just a few steps away in his bed. The Scotties would not leave him alone. They would bark at him, nudge him and pull at his blanket. Then, they would dash outside, bark some more and then come in and repeat their behavior. They did two sharp barks, as if to say to Fergus, “Get up! Don’t be such a lazy bum. Get up!” Again, I went back to my duties, not fully realizing what the Scotties were telling me. I went upstairs to put away laundry. That’s when I heard Fergus bark, and it was a bark I had not heard before.
The Scotties were barking at Fergus and Fergus was barking an unusual short sharp BARK, BARK. Everything became clear to me then. The Scotties were trying to help Fergus and Fergus was trying to let me know that he needed help. His BARK, BARK meant “HELP ME.” He could no longer move and he lay there watching me as I called the Vet. John, who had been golfing, met me at the Vet’s office. John and I got a chance to be with Fergus in a private room. The staff was so kind to us as we said our goodbyes. We cried and thanked Fergus for a wonderful 14 year friendship. He was ready to be relieved of his earthly duties and more than ready to join his partner, Thistle, in dog heaven. As he put his head down that last time, I knew that he just wanted to slip away quietly on that pleasant late September afternoon. I could not have had a better friend than Fergus. It was the hardest day.
I let the family know what had happened so they would be prepared when they came down the next day. My 10 year old granddaughter wrote this poem about Fergus and sent it by e-mail:
Fergus
Fergus was a sweet little pup,
Who always made your happiness go up!
And although he always LOVED to eat,
He wouldn’t say no to a treat.
When you looked into his eyes,
You could feel enough power
To make the sun rise.
He was a fuzzy furry little friend,
But everybody meets their end.
From Makisa
Alison M.
