On Friday, Oct. 21, our family made the tough decision to put our dog, Archie, down. He had been battling lymphoma, and things took a turn for the worse that morning. Losing a four-legged friend and family member is never easy. What makes the loss of Archie that much worse is that he was only five-years-old.
Our kids are doing okay with it, but, I know this is something that will stay with them for years to come. I can vividly recall losing my first dog, Sandy, when I was around eight or nine-years-old. The same could be said for our other dog, Zoey, who passed when I was older; it still hurts.
Archie was a puggle, and I’m not sure if it’s a breed thing or was just an Archie thing, but he loved to try and beg for food and snacks. I know that table food is never a good combination for dogs, but that guy was always prepared for things to fall on the floor.
We spent Archie’s last day by taking him to the dog park; he was thrilled to be the only dog there. Archie was never overly social with other dogs–he tolerated them but didn’t really seek them out when at places like the dog park.
It’s been tough watching our other dog, Doc, adjust to life without his friend. Doc loves other dogs and was constantly wanting to play with Archie, usually resulting in a barking fest and running throughout our house.
I would like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Dan Drahos and the entire team at Riverside Animal Hospital. They took excellent care of Archie, and I truly appreciate their support, professionalism, and friendship during that challenging time.
I’d also like to acknowledge the folks that reached out to us via text messages or on social media. We appreciate each and every one of you!
Many have asked, “will you get another dog?” I don’t think so. Not now at least. We have Doc and Mama June, the cat we adopted from It Takes A Village Animal Rescue.
Spoil those furry family members, and enjoy every moment with them. I know I personally am making more of an effort to be present with Doc and Mama June. If anything, I hope that Archie has found Sandy and Zoey and made friends. Even though he’d rather do his own thing, maybe he would make a couple of exceptions.
