We just lost one of our beloved pets.  Farley was a fifteen year old Golden Retriever that we had adopted when her former owner’s wife decided she didn’t want her anymore.  We picked her up at the kennel where she had been left until someone might want to adopt a ten year old dog.  She was glad to meet us and we scooped her up and introduced her to our group. She joined three other dogs.

She was arthritic and had a tail with missing fur.  Her coat wasn’t shiny and she was very quick to move if we got close to her.  In fact she even snapped at us if we surprised her as she was lying down.  We soon figured out that she must have been pushed or shoved to get out of the way. She learned we weren’t going to hurt her. She had been raised by a man who loved her and she also had been very close to another Golden who lived in the house and was also given away.  The man had died.

Farley never asked for much.  She was content to lie between us when we ate our meals.  She followed my husband and plopped herself down by him.  He started taking her to work with him everyday and she loved that.  She also loved her food and her treats and our male dog, Beau.  Her tail eventually filled in and her coat grew thick and shiny.  She loved to go to the groomer and come home with a pretty bow.  She didn’t see very well and her hearing was gone. Somehow she knew when it was time to eat, though.  She either followed the other dogs or smelled the food being added to her dish.

We knew it was time when she couldn’t eat anymore.  She tried and she didn’t want to miss going to work, either.  She made it till the end of the week.  She put in a full day.  She earned her keep.  The next day we took her to the dog hospital and she died quietly, just like she did everything else.  No muss no fuss. She was cremated and we will pick up her ashes later this week.

We miss her and we are glad we were able to share the end of her life.  Older dogs make good pets.  They are over the puppy craziness, they are potty trained, they are smart and may know tricks, they can walk on a leash, and they can sit and stay.  They don’t eat sticks and rubber toys and get sick.

Pete, Sean and Karen Bennett, Pet Chef Express