Thursday, August 4, 2011

Raise your glass, to Jeremy

Jeremy was the epitome of the underdog.  He was a mutt.  He wasn't much more shepherd than I am.  But he had a smile for everyone and a survival skill that probably saw him through some very bad times. 

He was an old guy when he came into the rescue and he looked like hell.  He had tested positive for heartworms and had been treated by the Fluvanna SPCA, but he had only very thin, sparse hair on his body and a skin infection probably left over from a bad flea infestation and allergy that had gone untreated for far too long.  I sometimes wish I could read dogs' minds and know their past, but I'm not sure I would have wanted to know much about Jeremy's past.  I'm sure there were plenty of hard times and quite a bit of trying to make it on his own.  But he knew he needed people and he did his best to seek them out and find his place in the world. 

I don't know if he ever did.  I never could find him a real home.  He wasn't what anyone was looking for, but he was wrong in all the right ways and Jeremy fit in around here.  He made himself at home and maybe that was enough.  I should have done more to make him a home here.  I sure hope this sweet little guy had some good times in his early life;  he deserved more than he got out of life. 

There's a poem by Rupert Brooke that I first encountered on a dog calendar.  It tells the story of a good little dog who goes out and raises hell one day.  It stuck in my head because it reminded me of our little dog, Vito.  It is equally applicable to Jeremy.


All in the town were still asleep
When the sun came up with a shout and a leap.
In the lonely streets unseen by man,
a little dog danced. And the day began.
.....

When the blood-red sun had gone burning down,
And the lights were lit in the little town,
Outside, in the gloom of the twilight grey,
The little dog died when he'd had his day.




I called the vet's office this morning and was relieved to learn that he had made it through the night.  I really didn't want the end to come for him when he was alone.  When I spoke to the vet later, they had determined that he had both blood and bacteria in his urine, and fluid in his abdominal cavity that was full of bacteria.  Surgery would have been required to find and possibly repair the problem.  He was a very sick dog.  A post-mortem identified a large tumor that would have been inoperable in any event. 

I was grateful for the chance to go to town and lay down with him for a while and stroke his head.  He was glad to see me and lifted his head and looked up at me if I paused in the petting while we were together.  I was grateful to the vet who gave me a frank and honest assessment of the dog's condition and prognosis rather than leading me down a path of false hope and prolonged suffering for the dog.  I was grateful to the staff who showed kindness and compassion to both me and Jeremy.  I was especially grateful that Jeremy seemed to be normal, healthy, and happy right up to the end and only had a couple of bad days instead of a prolonged illness.  I was grateful to Jeremy for sharing part of his life with us, for forgiving me when I was stressed and short, for always having that happy, optimistic look on his sweet face. 

So raise your glass, all my underdogs, to Jeremy.

13 comments:

Bonnie Loves Cats =^..^= said...

Makes me cry, Brent. There is one less star sparkling in the sky this night.
You have my condolences.

Carolyn said...

I'm sorry! The best part of his life was probably the part he spent with you.

Anonymous said...

Made me cry as well. Sorry you had to go through it, but I'm happy he had you at the end.

Laura said...

We fostered Jeremy over Thanksgiving He loved to hang out with me in the kitchen, gently taking samples, then following me wherever I went in the house. A sweet and unassuming dog, Brent you made his life better. Thank you

Tammy said...

Oh Brent, I'm so sorry for the loss but at least you gave Jeremy a loving home for the time he was with you!

Living the life in The Little City said...

I'm so sorry to read this. Good that he had time with you and a safe place at the end.

catspaw said...

Thank you for being there for him - and for all the others. I had one with a "mystery past" too and wish I could have somehow made it better. We do what we can.

Melissa Riley said...

Brent,
So sorry to hear about Jeremy. What a wonderful life you provided to someone who obviously had a rough start. He will always be with you.

Darlene said...

Jeremy loved you and I am glad you were with him today. I am sorry Jeremy is gone and will miss his smiling face. Thanks for caring for him in every way.

Anonymous said...

Oh, how terribly sad. I had hoped that he just caught some sort of infection. You did all the right things, sometimes that is not easy, but that is what we do when we really care. He looked truly happy on your photos and I am sure he enjoyed the time with you and in the foster homes.
Good thing he found his way into the rescue.

Anonymous said...

This made me cry too....Jeremy had a good life with you, which probably made up for all the previous hardships. He's up there at the Rainbow Bridge now, whole and healthy and waiting to see you again.

Alli said...

I am so sorry to hear about Jeremy. I was just telling Colin two days ago how I wanted to take in a dog like him when Sophie is older. I remember meeting him when we met her, and he was so sweet. Like others, he wasn't right for us. However, I think maybe he was right for your home. You say he didn't fit quite right at all the other homes, but I bet he fit right in at yours. His days with you I'm sure were happy ones, and every time he came back to your place, I'm sure he had missed you. What he had at your house is still more than what many dogs get, even ones who do have permanent homes. Thank you for giving him that, I know he appreciated it, and we do too.

BudsBuddy said...

I'm very sorry, Brent. It never ceases to amaze me how dogs can go right on enjoying life up until their very last day or two. I think you said in a post a while back that you thought Jeremy would be with you "for the rest of his days." Indeed he was, and lucky for him.