a sad sad day

All dogs go to heaven......

The 13th of March, 2004 was a terribly sad day for the family. Rocky left us on his final journey across the rainbow bridge. He had been unwell for the past week. He was weak, refused to eat and was vomitting phlegm all the while. My aunt and I took him to the vet and he was given some medication. The vet was honest and told us that it did not look good but we should take him home and monitor his condition. The vet ordered crate rest but guess who got "crated" instead....Bubbles ! We had no choice because this was the only way that Rocky could rest. The vet explained that Rocky's heart was failing and theer was nothing that he could do. We were all upset and that night, we stayed up with him for as long as we could. My aunt slept on the couch that night so that Rocky did not have to be alone. As I left for work early the next morning, I spent some time with him and tried to coax him with some food but he just turned away. I told him to be a good boy and try to eat something and I would buy him a treat on my way home that night. Right about lunchtime, my aunt called me and told me that Rocky had collapsed. She and my mom were rushing Rocky to the vet. I just felt numb but what could I do. I counted the secounds until I could leave work and get to the vet where Rocky was "hospitalized". How and what I feld as I entered the boarding section and saw Rocky, I could never ever explain or put into words. He had drips on both front paws and I could only imagine how painful it was. He was such a good boy. the vet told me that he never once fought, struggled or attempted to bite them when they were adminsitering the drips. Even after the drips were in place, he never once tried to "attack" it. That's our boy with the golden heart. I stayed with him for as long as I could; hugging him and telling him over and over again that he could go if he was suffering. When the vet told me that they were closing, I held Rocky's face in my hands and told him how much he meant to me and how much I love him. I looked into his soulful eyes and told him again that it was OK to go. Ah Ma (my dear grandmother who passed away in 2000) would be waiting for him. What I saw in his eyes is (again) something else that I find hard to put into words. We just understood each other and all I saw was love in his eyes. In my heart, I knew that this would be the last time I would ever get to hold him, hug him or look into his eyes as I always did. As I left, I reminded him to resta nd be a good boy and that I'd be around to see him early the next morning.

This would be a promise I would never be allowed to keep. As I was getting ready to go see Rocky the next morning, the vet called and told me that Rocky's condition was deteriorating fast. My mom and I rushed over but it was just too late. God loved Rocky so much more than we did and took Rocky into His loving embrace. The only consolation that I felt was that he was finally free from pain and suffering. I knew that my Ah Ma would take good care of him. Rocky was still warm when we arrived. My mom left shortly to fetch my aunt from her place of work nearby.

It was hard to go home knowing that I would never hear or see Rocky running up to me again. I cut a lock of Rocky's hair and still keep it until today. I had him cremated the following day and his remains were returned to me in a floral urn placed in a basket of flowers. We are Catholic with a family alter at home. Rocky's remains were placed at our family corner alongside my grandparents and stepfather. He was family like the others whose little corner he shares and we pray that God keeps him safe.

This post is dedicated to our precious ROCKY

17 June 1995 ~ 13 march 2004

Thank you, dear and precious boy for bringing so much joy and love into our lives

You are in our hearts forever and we will never forget