I love you so much Buster. I so hate to see you leave, but it is appropriate. It has been so sad watching your decline the past few years. And you have been so brave and resilient despite the accidents and the falls. But the good days have become far less frequent than the days that aren't so good. And with the heat of the summer on its way we needed to act now. If I were a wealthy man I might have found a way to let you continue for a little longer, but not for long. I'm glad we were able to get some old friends together to see you off. I'm grateful that things flowed as smoothly and peacefully as they did. You were an incredible friend and I wanted to be certain to celebrate your life and honor you as you transitioned.
I first met Buster when I moved to Jasper, Oregon in May, 2004. I rented a room from his owner in a house with 5 acres that backed up on forest land. Buster and my dog Precious quickly became great friends and playmates. And then a little over a year later, circumstances called on me to adopt Buster, something which I happily took on. We have been through many adventures since then, live at the coast for a while, lived near the mountains for a while, did a lot of camping and hiking together, walks on the beach, walks on the logging and fire roads in the forests.
It was about four years ago when I first noticed that his hearing was getting bad. Then over time his eyesight started to fail him. He slowed down a bit and stopped trying to keep up with the younger dogs, then eventually stopped running entirely. His legs just kept getting worse and worse. For the past few months he needed to be lifted to his feet most times to be be able to walk. But even that was getting tougher and tougher. It was last week when I finally decided that it was time to plan for him to go home.
We had a nice little going away party last night. His previous owner and his kids were there along with their new puppy. We also had my long time friend and significant other, my landlady, and my two other dogs. We shared stories, took photos, shared a beer in Buster's honor, and had cake and ice cream for the dogs as well as the people. Then this morning a friend came by to help get him loaded into my landlady's van and she drove us to the vet's and then out to my friend's house where I had prepared a spot for his body. Along the way we stopped at McDonald's so he could have one last cheeseburger. Then off to take care of things. It was wonderfully peaceful and gentle and appropriate.
Buster, I love you my dear friend, and I always will. Good Bye.
