Most people view the start of a brand new year as a sign they get to start the wheel of reinvention all over again, and that whatever happened in the previous year will be magically erased. If only that were the case.
I have to admit I approached the start of the New Year much in the same fashion-THIS will be the year that all the hopes and dreams that have been kept inside will be unleashed and that great things will happen. What I didn't count on was having to come up with an obituary for my best friend.
12:00pm or so I get a phone call from my dad. "Where are you?!" he asked rather abruptly as soon as I answered the phone. "Driving through town-did we have plans set up that I forgot about?" "No. You need to come home-" It was at this point he started to choke up. This was serious and I had to get home as fast as I legally could (and then some). There was an emergency family meeting and it was to discuss...
Tuukka came into our lives about eight years ago, courtesy of my roommate. He was a playful puppy and had a big loving heart and eyes full of adventure. I took him hiking up a mountain and he made it up and down like the little trooper he was. He roamed about Canada like he owned the country and made it to Walt
Disney World. He never complained and when my parents took care of him, he attached himself to my Dad and Mom like they were his parents (which they soon became).
My mom treated him like a little son, claiming he was "a smart little guy" and my Dad would catch Tuukka doing something he found funny and called him his "silly little puppy". He suffered through loss of vision due to Diabetes, and my parents decided to opt for surgery to restore his vision without hesitation. He deserved to have the best life any puppy could have, and if they had the means to give it to him they would.
I would come over to their house countless times and would hear his excited barks through the garage door as I opened it up, which was always followed by rapid scratching at the door. He knew it was me and could not wait to see and greet me with licks all over my face. He in return would get the best belly rubs and back scratches any puppy could receive (Yes I am biased here.) His big grin and wagging tail was all I needed in return-the face licks were a bonus.
I decided it was time to return to old favorites for his last Christmas, getting him red chew toys, a few plain burgers to chow down on and some dehydrated liver treats he used to love. He remembered the treats and took to them like old times. I saw him grinning from the couch and when I lay on the floor he waddled over to me and plopped down next to me, never leaving my side. If I moved he would move to stay close to me.
My parents reported that a few days later he started to become lethargic and labored to walk around, only managing a few steps before he would lay down on the floor. My dad decided to take him in to the vets today and this was when he received the bad news: Kidney failure due to diabetes. We had two options- look for a cure and prolong his suffering, or end the suffering. It hurt us to think of the pain he was going through and made the toughest decision of our lives. As a family we decided we had to do what was best for the little guy and give him peace.
At 2pm, January 1, 2021, Tuukka took his last breaths as my mom and dad laid hands on him, me with my hands on his belly telling him about all the adventures I was thankful to have shared with him. He was surrounded by those that he was close with for his final moments, and was at last at peace and without pain.
Thank you Tuukka, for eight years of pleasure, joy, and great memories. You won't be forgotten and the memory of you will live long in our hearts. Rest In Peace, and I meant what I told you before you left: "You'll wake up after your nap and we'll all be reunited once again." Going to miss you pal.
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