Bosco
Bosco was a shepherd mix and was with us for 15 years, most of those
spent with mother who had him since he was 6 weeks old. From the time he was
a puppy he had these huge feet, which foretold the big 80-pounder he would
be in his prime. Bosco was basically a big ole' lovable dummy. As mother did
a wonderful job of raising him, he had this serene personality which
endeared him to everyone. He really was a cool dog who never growled or
bared his teeth at anyone. When he was 13, mother moved to Seattle, bringing
Bosco with her. I can honestly say Bosco loved Seattle and soon enough had
endeared himself to everyone in the building. He was getting old though, and
it reached a point were he pretty much having trouble walking, pooping, and
for about the last 4 months he was really dependent on me, and mother who
cooked him liver and fish head soup, for all his physical needs. I DID NOT
MIND ONE BIT, and would have done it for years if need be. He had like
doggie Alzheimer's and would do things like sit in the corner, like a little
boy who was being punished. Even though we all knew it was coming the
end was still hurtful, in the space of a couple of days he went from bad to
really, really bad. On a Saturday night he began whimpering and we ended up
staying up with him all night. I was so desperate to help him I gave him MMJ
(medical marijuana) and percocets I went and scored on the streets. It
helped him some but not enough. Monday we called the doctor, we knew it was
time, they agreed to come over Wednesday, and called in a prescription for
Valium and Tramadol. That first Valium and the pain pills and he was finally
ok, and slept for hours. I timed the drugs out so that when they came on
Wednesday he would be out of it. But even with all those drugs, on Tuesday
night in between doses he whimpered. I knew it was time. To keep him any
longer would be cruel; I'd be thinking of myself and not Bosco. He was out
of it when the vets came to do it (I highly recommend doing it at home, even
if it does cost a little extra). While his death was very peaceful it
nonetheless ripped me open and my cries of anguish, and mother's, made
others cry. I cry as I write this. I loved that dog!!!
But then something happened to ease our pain. We were looking for dogs
online and over the last year mother and I had discussed many different
breeds. We finally settled on a Shetland Sheepdog, known as Shelties. It did
not take but a few clicks of the mouse button, next thing you know there is
a little tri-colored Sheltie, I put a deposit down. The breeder was in
Washington state so I rented a car on Sunday morning and mother and I drove
out to Benton City, WA, and bought this little bundle of joy whom we named
Rosco in honor of Bosco. Pretty cool huh? To end my tale, we had got home
and mother was in the bathroom, and I was in the bedroom when I heard Rosco
barking. I walked out and there was Rosco sitting in the same exact place
Bosco use to sit and stare at the wall. Rosco kept looking at something, his
little tail wagging furiously, and barking. It was 'effing weird. I consider
myself agnostic, and I am very skeptical. This made the hairs on the back of
my neck stand up. One other incident has occurred and mom swears Bosco's
spirit approves. Rosco has slid in like he's been here his whole life, he
did not even cry his first night away from the litter. I still think of
Bosco, a lot, somehow I think he's happy for us.
Norma S. and Daryl C.
