BodieAugust 16, 1995 - August 14, 2008
It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I write about Bodie passing away. He was in all respects the perfect dog. His number one goal was to please us, well really Beth. He was always happy, always willing to play, and said "hi" to everyone he saw.
Bodie will always be special to me. When I met Bodie I was scared of dogs. He taught me not to be. He taught me to be comfortable in the dog park. He was the first dog I ever walked and certainly the first I ever spent any real time with. His variety of ailments over the last two years also taught me a lot about veterinary medicine.
Bodie had become an integral part of my life. Much of my daily routine was built around feeding, walking, and playing with Miles and him. On weekends he loved to take long walks in the park. Being on a trail gave him renewed energy and as long as we had water for him, he would just keep walking. I think he really loved his new house. He was able to sun himself on the deck, he didn't need to stress about going up and down stairs, and he had plenty of outside space.
Bodie Last Day:
It was a typical day for Bodie. Breakfast, morning walk, and presumable a long nap. Ute came and took he and Miles for another short walk. At 3 I loaded them in the car for the "pet hotel."
Despite everything appearing fine, last Thursday turned into a very eventful day. Beth and I were headed for Colorado, so I dropped Miles and Bodie off at the "Pet Hotel." Just minutes later I got a call from Chris, the owner, saying "something is wrong with Bodie." Chris saw that Bodie wouldn't get up and after feeling his gums were cold thought he might be having a heart attack. Thankfully, he acted quickly and took Bodie to the Emergency Vet. I picked up Beth but instead of heading to the airport we headed right to the vet. It turns out that he had a build-up of fluid around his heart which was putting pressure on it, making it impossible for him to get adquate blood flow.
Dr. Costello immediately recognized the issue and they were able to relieve the pressure on his heart. By the time we arrived, Bodie was recovering and when we saw him, the typically Bodie smile was back on his face. However, x-rays showed that this would not be a one-time occurance. Bodie had an aggressive form of cancer, and most likely it had been a ruptured tumor on his heart that had produced the pressure. After hours of discussion, Beth and I made a difficult choice. Instead of making Bodie endure another episode like this, or additional discomfort and pain from the sickness we opted to let Bodie go for a final walk; spend time lying in the grass with us; and then we put him to sleep.
Despite his smile and wagging tail, it was clear he was not well. His head was heavy, his breathing labored, and overall he was tired.
If you had asked me 18 months ago if I could ever be this emotional about a dog, you would have quickly heard, "no." But after having had the honor of spending time with Bodie, I'm a dog person, and I have him to thank.
Thank you Bodie. We'll all miss you.
