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RIP Watson My Standard Poodle
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Well, I don't post much if at all these days. However, this group has always been especially kind around the bond of people and dogs. 10 years ago everyone was so kind when Fritz my standard poodle passed away in November of 2014.
It is with a heavy heart that I just lost another dear dog yesterday.
Watson the standard poodle came to me 3 weeks after the death of Fritz. My wife had volunteered me to transport empty crates and a few dogs from Columbia SC to Carolina Poodle Rescue in rural SC. They do great work and in a moment of reflection to pay it forward to the person who had rescued Fritz originally, I thought it might be good for my broken heart to pay it forward.
Watson and his twin brother were a last minute addition to my truck back in 2014 and they cajoled the latch enough to escape into the cab of my f150. The dog with two twin white spots on his chest and jet black eyes and fur thus curled up into my lap and shortly into our lives almost immediately.
He had chosen me and I can deny it in the moment, but the minute I arrived at the "farm" the volunteers simply assumed he was mine. In reality he had chosen me. From that day forward he joined our family. He had been neglected, bullied by his twin and was heart worm positive similar to my first standard. He also had no name. He was greasy, growly, skittish and sickly. However, his fur was dark black and almost Jheri curled. Thus he was named after Randy Watson, who at the time was my kids favorite character in their favorite movie.
I can spare the details of the next decade, but I got older and my 40's evaporated too quickly, kids grew and headed to college, some family passed away, but Watson became snuggly, fiercely loyal to his pack and an adventurous family guy. In short a worthy successor and different in his own way. Always up for boating, fishing and just plain being in the thick of it.
Sadly for some reason in a span of 7-10 days he must have had a tumor on his brain or sympathetic nerves and he quickly went blind, lost his back legs and stopped eating. A few vet visits and I knew it was terminal. He spared us the agony of an aging dog as his went from his normal self to death very quickly. He slept in bed with my wife and I Tuesday night one last time and he was up and restless and scared, so I held his head on my shoulder and rubbed his back for comfort. I knew he was in the state in between here and the ether.
I had cancelled travel plans for the 4th and stayed behind with him yesterday. My wife and two college sons said goodbye and once the house was quiet he slipped into a catatonic state almost within an hour and slowly drifted into the deep sleep as I held in my arms. I felt his heart stop and ugly cried but knew his suffering had ended. He made it easy for us but my heart is gutted as is often the case.
Probably too much TMI but it feels good to let this corner of the world know he was not just a good boy, but the best. I was lucky he chose me on his rags to riches journey but in reality he gave us so much more than he ever asked for, as is often the case with dogs.
