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loagiehoagie

My best buddy is gone

loagiehoagie
13 years ago

My yellow Lab Duke left this earth last night. He was one month shy of 14 years of age. I picked him out of all the other dogs in his litter. He was the runt. I put down the deposit for him on Christmas Eve 1996 and picked him up on New Years Eve at exactly 7 weeks of age. He was a great dog...the dog of my dreams actually. He was the first dog that was 'mine'...not a family dog...'mine'.

He was incorrigible. Not quite as bad as Marley from the book/movie...but he was pretty wild. He never chewed up a couch or anything but he did eat some wood trim. I tortured him over that...not physically...mentally...I would look at the chewed trim and look at him and back and forth. That was enough. Knowing that displeased me was all it took.

He slept on the bed and at 115 pounds we needed to upgrade to a king. When he got to be about 11 he couldn't jump up there anymore but still slept next to me by the bed.

I always joked about his boo-boo's. He always had something wrong. Boo-boo ear, boo-boo paw, boo-boo nose, boo-boo head, etc. etc. The big boo-boo was a knee replacement in 2005. $3,000 and I didn't blink twice about it. He was my baby and I loved him to no end. He was there for me when my mom had 5 heart attacks in 2005-2006 and passed away.

On friday his legs started failing. Saturday he could only take a few steps before falling over. Even in bad health he was a happy dog. He fell over in the yard and I looked out and he was just laying there with a big goofy lab grin on his face. By sunday he couldn't walk at all. I helped him out to do his business and layed him on a comforter with a pillow in the garage and spent all day with him....petting him...talking to him and just enjoying what I knew was our last day together. I hand fed him. He only would eat baloney...okay...baloney it is.

I was in denial yesterday and hoped for a miracle that I knew in my heart wouldn't happen. When I got home he had tears streaming down his face. He was obviously in severe distress. The vet came out last night and sent him to heaven to be with my mom. I'll never have another dog like him. He was my dukerdawg and I loved him more than anything and always will.

He actually saved our life one time. When I can see through my tears later I might tell that story.

Thanks for listening.

Duane

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