It has been almost 4 weeks since the loss of our beloved Dakota.I still can't believe that he's gone.It all happened so fast.I am grateful, however, that i did have time to say goodbye,of course its never enough time-but we found out about 7 weeks before he died that he was sick & would die.He was just 1 month short of his 8th birthday.We also have his brother from the same litter, Dallas.They were extremely close & loved & adored each other deeply.They always took care of each other & had a profound respect & genuine love for each other-never fought or even growled at each other-both didn't have a mean bone in their bodies.
Dakota had lymphoma,cancer of the lymph nodes.It was devastating to find out.He was one of my 4 children.I always used to tease my kids & say that i gave birth to Dakota & Dallas too. The pain & great sadness I feel is so deep.I miss him so very much & want him back so very badly.He was such a good dog-kind, gentle, cute, funny, had a few phobias-but those are what made him so lovable.He was afraid to walk on certain types of flooring-tile floor & laminate floors mostly. Anything that he couldn't get sure footing on.He slipped on our kitchen floor once when he was about 1 year old while he was running through the kitchen.His back legs slipped out & his legs & behind went down.Ever since then he was afraid to walk on certain types of floors. We had to put down rug runners as paths throughout our house so he could get around otherwise he wouldn't walk around the house. We used to jokingly call the rugs "dakota's handicap ramps". Anytime he had to walk on any undesirable floor-he would try to like grab onto the floor with his paws & in turn make himself so tense, that he would slip.
He would also always bring you something whenever you came back home from being out some where.He would greet you at the door with whatever he had found laying on the floor-a toy, a shoe,a doll-clutched in his mouth, tail & back end wagging back & forth.He used to do this whenever someone he knew came in the house.It was like he was saying Hello-so glad you're here-come in, come in.I miss that terribly.
Our dogs are very sociable.We always went on walks after dinner with them & since we live in a small neighborhood, everyone around here knows them. The response & genuine care that has been shown by everyone in our neighborhood is comforting.A few neighbors came to say goodbye to him at the end.It is a comfort to know that others cared for him also. Also to know that there are other people out there who love & take good care of their pets is heartwarming to me because I truly believe if you are not going to truly love your pet & treat them well, then you should not get one. It is a pet peeve of mine when people have a dog & then decide its not working out so they just get rid of it. Someone I know had a dog for 13 years & then got rid of it. Why? Because since she had kids the dog became an inconvenience. Before her kids, she said "oh i just loved her". But after she had kids she became a hassle.How terrible.Shame on you. We had ours dogs 1st & then had our kids after. I remember crying to my dogs the night I came home from the hospital with my firstborn that I knew they didn't understand what was going on, but don't worry-they would be happy with the baby & we would all have a happy life together.Hormones.
They did learn to love the kids too-they just fit into our happy little family.
Anyway, I'm not really sure my purpose in writing all of this,but it seems to help me to remember & express memories of Dakota.I miss him so much that it hurts inside.I am grateful though that I go to be his mommy & that I was fortunate enough to be touched by the love & companionship of such a unique, loving, gentle dog. Rest in peace Dakota...you will forever be in my heart...Miss you & love you......Mommy