One of my best friends for the past 16 years crossed the rainbow bridge.
Unfortunately, we had to put Daisy to rest today.
Despite being four or five months shy of her 17th birthday — an incredible feat for a pug, her mobility has declined over the previous year. She would occasionally fall while walking, but would usually get back up and carry on.
That changed last weekend. After returning home from errands April 27, we found her sitting in place as we entered. Usually she would come and greet us excitedly. It wasn’t a good sign, and she wasn’t getting up. Even after helping her up, she couldn’t stand. She kept falling back down every single time.
On April 29, we took her to the veterinarian. The news wasn’t good: She was likely suffering from a failed kidney.
Even with treatment for pain, she was still suffering. She couldn’t walk, couldn’t eat or drink on her own, nor could she do her business as usual. I knew it was time to relieve her of the suffering, and allow her to be at peace.
She was put to sleep at the veterinarian at 12:30 p.m. today (May 3, 2024). She will always be in my heart.
Love since first sight
I remember my parents finding Daisy in a classified advertisement in The Plainsman, being excited that we were getting another dog. We had a litter of pugs just a couple years prior, two of which we kept. Unfortunately neither of the parents stayed around much longer (one was stolen, the other ran over on the rural highway out front of our house), and one of the puppies — Sparky — didn’t live very long (he was also unfortunately ran over). The other, Otis, survived until April 4, 2012.
One mild winter afternoon (in late 2007 or early 2008), I remember riding my bike around our yard after school while awaiting my parents’ return from Knob Noster, Missouri, with the pug puppy. After they returned, the little fawn pug sprang out of their hands and sprinted toward me.
I was still on my bike — until she knocked me off. Trapped under my bike, Daisy excitedly licked me all over.
We instantly formed a bond. I often joked about her and some of the crazy things she done throughout her life. Once, a piece of dog food became lodged between the stove and a cabinet. Instead of pawing it out, she backed up and rammed her head into the stove quickly three or four times before walking off.
As a child, I always wanted a “dog with a snout” because, outside of an older rat terrier that died when I was real young, we always had pugs. Daisy was the fifth pug my parents had (not counting all the puppies we sold). We eventually got a Chihuahua, Rico, in 2013 — who died (hit by a speeding pickup truck, which also was just a foot or so from taking out my father) in 2017. I “adopted” Gidget, another Chihuahua puppy, in June 2020.
There’s so many stories to tell about Daisy, too many to detail here. She’ll be missed, but I’m thankful she’s finally at peace. We gave her a happy, peaceful life, just like she gave us.
Daisy: 2007 – May 3, 2024.
