| An associate shared this heart-rending story with me | | | | grass for her, and then feed them to her. She was a |
| about his pet and I'll repeat it here in his own words.I | | | | strong dog. She could pull me along behind, dragging |
| had the most lovely Rotweiler female dog. She was | | | | me holding her leash.As time went on she continually |
| about two years old when I bought her. She had a | | | | had stomach problems, separated by days when she |
| strong personality, but was sweet, loving and | | | | felt better. The size of her abdomen also grew larger. |
| affectionate to me. I named her Snoopy. She was a | | | | Each day we still faithfully went on her walk. She |
| career watch dog. I kept her on a long tether line | | | | would come to me when she thought it was time to |
| attached to a strong steel post. Every day she would | | | | go walking, and remind me that she wanted to go. |
| go for a long walk with me.When I moved to a more | | | | As time went on her rest periods during our walks, |
| rural setting she had her own fenced off yard, to | | | | grew more frequent and longer. Some times we did |
| play in. Life was good. She loved to go for walks on | | | | about half and half, walking and sitting. I would carry |
| the mountain side behind where we lived. Snoopy's | | | | a water bottle for Snoopy so she could drink. She |
| world was one of smell. She loved to go sniffing in a | | | | always became thirsty on her walks.Snoopy started |
| ground squirrel's burrow. She would spend a lot of | | | | developing tumours on the out side of her fur coat. |
| time digging up the hole. The dirt would go flying | | | | From time to time, I checked her coat and noted |
| behind her, as she became a dirty, soil covered mess. | | | | she was developing more tumours, on her sides and |
| She would dig until tired, and even then it was | | | | shoulders. I suspected the large mass in her abdomen |
| difficult, to pull her away from the hole.Snoopy was a | | | | was also a tumour.Sometimes her food seemed to |
| very intelligent dog. I talked to her all the time. She | | | | make her feel sick. In her last week she found a |
| seemed to understand a great deal of the English | | | | bunch of bird bones in the forest and insisted on |
| language and would get all excited if I asked her if | | | | eating them. She really enjoyed eating those bones. I |
| she wanted to go for a drive in the car. Then she | | | | knew her days were numbered and did not want to |
| would saunter off to the door, and wait for me to | | | | deprive her of any last pleasures. The day after she |
| go out with her. She did much the same thing if I | | | | ate the bones she felt really sick. She didn't eat her |
| asked her, if she wanted to go for a walk. Snoopy | | | | food for a couple of days after that. Instead she |
| would gesture with her head and paws to | | | | went looking for grass, when we were out walking. |
| communicate. Some times it was almost like we | | | | In a few days she felt better again. All the grass we |
| were psychically linked. I would wake up at night | | | | picked together, must have helped. She sure ate a |
| from a deep sleep, when she wanted to go out | | | | lot of grass. She had a few last good days. Snoopy |
| side.Snoopy had thick black and brown hair. Twice a | | | | really enjoyed life on her good days. She enjoyed |
| year she would shed her coat. The heaviest hair loss | | | | going exploring so much, on the mountain side. On |
| was in spring, when her winter coat was shed. The | | | | her good days one could almost forget, that she had |
| lighter hair loss came in fall as she prepared to put on | | | | a growing problem.Snoopy became sick again and this |
| her winter coat. I would try to comb her every day | | | | time couldn't keep down food or water. I would try |
| when she was shedding hair. Brushing her hair yielded | | | | to give her little drinks, hoping her stomach would |
| bunches of her black fur so at this time of year | | | | keep the water down. She just threw it up, a short |
| brushing her coat became a major element of her | | | | time later. On her last morning I woke up, hearing |
| pet care routine.Even though we were very active, | | | | Snoopy coughing violently. I ran to help her. She was |
| taking mountain walks each day, Snoopy, started | | | | in a life and death struggle to breath. I tried to clear |
| putting on a lot of weight. She was so heavy, I could | | | | her throat, swatting her on the back of the neck. It |
| not have lifted her. She was about the size of a small | | | | was too late. She went unconscious and died in my |
| sheep.Off and on she would have stomach problems. | | | | arms. I was heart broken. My best friend had died. |
| I noticed she was developing a pot belly. She would | | | | Her departure ended her cancer, but left me lost, |
| eat a lot of grass on days when she didn't feel well. | | | | with a gigantic hole in my life. Snoopy was the best |
| Sometimes I would help her, by picking the blades of | | | | part of my life. |