This weekend I kept a friend’s dogs while they went out of town. I went over Friday night and walked them and fed them. The same with Saturday morning. Saturday evening, we walked into chaos. The cage had poop all in it. There were are also dark marks everywhere on the towel that I later found out was blood. After cleaning furiously and changing out the towel, I gently placed the sick dog back into the crate. I walked the other dog and came back in to call my friend yet again. I called 10 times probably before reaching her. They were on a family trip you see. A few hours away. I was a nervous wreck, describing the scene including blood and poop. I then explained that the sweet little girl dog would not eat or drink and that she was slobbering at the mouth.
My friend went on to say that she gets sick sometimes and that it is okay. I was not convinced. I again explained what the deal was and she told me not to worry. So unconvinced, I stayed around another 2 and a half hours. My child was ready to go eat dinner and I did not want to leave the dog. I called the owners again to say that the new towel as my daughter pointed out had “black stuff all over it again”. She said that the dog has gotten sick before when they went out of town and not to worry. Well worry I did. I thought about the doggie all night. I am thinking of her now, that is why I woke up from my sleep and it is almost 2 am.
So, I prayed while I ran like an Olympic runner up the stairs to their place and I was saying, “please Jesus let her be fine. Please God let her be alive.” I was running so fast that my daughter could not keep up. We walked in the door and I fell apart because I could tell that she was not alive. I called my friend and I was blubbering so hard. She handed the phone off to her husband and I was in shock at his reaction. He started talking about how these things happen and nothing could have prevented it. How they do not blame me and they are not the type to take the dog to the vet to see the cause.
I was FLABBERGASTED! I am balling on the phone and that is what he said. Then they asked me to remove the body and place it on a plastic bag. I was a wreck then. I lost the pet love of my life in the summer that I had been lucky enough to have for 2 decades and I was to lift this dead animal out of the cage and cover it up? The only reason that I complied is because there was another doggie there looking up at me in confusion. I could not leave the corpse of his “sister” lying there for him to wonder about.
So they called me again when I was in the car going to church to see if I was still at their place. I proceeded to tell them that I did what they asked and I was upset,etc. The husband in his monotone still, got on speakerphone to assure me that there was nothing I could have done. Hell yeah there was! Take it to the vet for one thing! But it was their pet, their wishes and their wisdom (?) about what was best for their pet.
I am still sickened by the way it all went down. That sweet doggie may have been too far gone, but what if she could have been saved? At least been attended to in her last hours by professionals that could have eased the pain or kept her comfortable. The two kids in the car when I called apparently were crying, but had shown no real attachment to the dogs previously. I guess they learned what they lived.
Why have pets if you cage them most of the time because you do not take the time to train them? Why have pets if you do not care enough to see about them? Why waste their lives like that?
I have guilt about not seeing about my cat in enough the last few years of her life. I had no idea she was ill. I spent a lot on her the last 6 months of her life when I realized she was ill, but to know she was sick and to ignore it? I could never do that. These people are much better off than I am and could afford the care.
What makes people tick? Why do people do the things that they do? Age old questions. I guess I need to stop judging them, but right now I just can’t. I am not answering their calls or returning their texts. They feel bad now and want to make sure that I am okay. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? If they were different people and had let me taken their pet to the doc and it passed away that way, I would be calling to check on them. I would be texting to see if they are fine.
It breaks my heart and makes me sick all at the same time. I wish I would have held the doggie that night and stayed by her side. I wish my kid would have not had to go through that again so soon after losing our pet. I also wish that they were different people but they are not. I do now view them in an unflattering light and do not know if I will ever feel the same about them again.
Life is short. Live with no regrets. Always trust the gut feeling so you will never have to say-“I should have”….
faith is all that I can stand on 