Remembering our dog always takes me back to certain experiences with him. Sometimes in a person’s life, a special animal will touch your heart. On occasion, there is a memorable trip to the veterinarian. This, in fact, was our most adventurous appointment! Reminiscing this day is one way I can cope with the grief and honor his life. This story is in memory of a very wonderful dog!
Our poor old beast of a dog was just a few days shy of eleven years. He answered to TyOhni which is Native American for wolf. A lab and border collie mix, he was pure black with the exception of white toes as well as a white star on his chest. His coloring, of course, made him the most adorable of his littermates. He was, when approaching eleven years, showing his age with a frosting of white fur forming on his muzzle. Unfortunately he was not feeling well, so my husband and I had to take him to the vet. This would involve getting a sample.
Ready for my Memory of a Dog Trip?
The last few years of his life, it had become a necessity for both of us to attend his vet visits. I think it is because he got rather nervous having the vet look at him while he was naked. (FYI, the vet wasn’t naked, but TyOhni was.) Also, he could get a bit nippy while he was there, so he required a muzzle once he arrived. (In case you’re wondering, I mean our dog, not my husband.) One of the requirements for this particular trip was to produce a urine sample. (This was TyOhni’s responsibility, not mine.)
Once we got home that afternoon, we were planning to find a suitable container for the sample. Before we got out of the car, our dog tauntingly flooded the drive with what appeared to be gallon of well, you-know-what. Many times when a male anyone would urinate outside, TyOhni, despite being a dog, would “copycat” by claiming back the scent of his territory. Considering our timing this trick, however, did not work.
We got up the next day and put on the harness and leash (not on us, but the dog.) As our dog was acting anxious, I had the presence of mind to dash into the house for my Peace and Calming essential oil. I’d never tried this oil on him before. I gave him a drop or two around his neck. It worked wonders as this was the only time of not panting and standing in the vehicle on the way to the vet. (I mean the dog, not us.)
Reminiscing Our Dog at the Vet
Once we disembarked in the parking area of the vet’s office, TyOhni was skittishly sniffing around checking out great smelling tires. One of us (not me) had the leash. This meant I was the lucky bearer of the empty thirty-two ounce cottage cheese container. Hubby pulled him away from the tires. (I mean the dog, not the vet.) The other side of the graveled area near the fence seemed attractive. All at once our dog let loose (not barking, but urinating). I hastily maneuvered the receptacle to the appropriate vicinity and was rewarded by the warm, gushing, pale, yellow liquid. That is probably the only time I’ve gleefully giggled about the feat of filling (not full) a container with urine. I was so proud of myself, I didn’t get a drop on me.
Perhaps the vet was too busy to be overly impressed over our accomplishment. He did acquire the necessary sample for testing our dog. The next time I get involved with any samples, my only hope is that it involves chocolates or cheese or art supplies or writing materials or…
Our vet reported that more than likely TyOhni was just feeling the effects of his age. This story was written in memory of our dear old dog, TyOhni, with whom we had many amazing adventures and good times. Here is second story of another of our wonderful dogs: The Goodbye Dog. This is a good resource for pet grief: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/coping-loss-pet May you find comfort in remembering your pets as well.
