This will also tie up lose ends with "the rest of the story" to those who might trip on this thread in years ahead.
Our furry friends are without match in giving unmatchable love, aren't they?
Post on his death
(post 41 - at Finest))
(and here is the post)
posting to all here - hoping I have included all in this ping, but cant bank on it!
..not sure I can even get thru one post... so forgive not the individual responses to your comments FRiends..they are appreciated.
Oliver at 5 years old died within 1.5 hrs of first symptom. There was collapse of the lung & the air was filling his subcutaneous tissue & he was puffy all over.. He was not getting oxygen to his heart & the heart was beating like crazy, he was gasping for air & foaming at mouth. guess these are all symptoms are very typical of this condition.
not sure cause but one troubling possibility is gunshot.It is normally a condition according to vet brought on by trauma .. there was no injury to his body
My friend John, who was the kayaker when I found Oliver (he is also on my profile page w/ oliver &his two dogs walking).. was with me last night. I called when all the symptoms started & I panicked & had no clue of ER docs etc.
I met him about 20 minutes south of my home & He drove the rest of way.
We were looking at up to 5K for surgery which might not help. He died within a half hour of us getting there. They were in the process of intubating him. He was conscious the entire time & kept his gaze on me. I tell, you dear friends, there is not a more helpless situation in the world than this
The doc said he lived as long as he did because he was in superb physical condition. Normally this is a half hour death from onset.
I brought oliver in last night & put him on living room floor. I didn't sleep,but held him close all night. several cats joined us .. and Toby was nearby watching. Toby is having a very difficult time also.
today I took O back to my van. the ground is frozen & we have quite a bit of snow. I want to bury him in back yard overlooking the national park & will have "services" .. possibly with those attending, helping with the grave digging. right now I am still pretty much in a daze.
John wanted his two dogs to see Oliver so I took Toby & O to the Brandywine falls area that Oliver simply loved to romp in. chance & Tippy investigated Oliver & friend John took some pix. Including a few for you to see (last one is kiss.. which he has ALWAYS gotten a lot of & a lot of since his death..) O is still very swollen. He is a slick, conditioned dog.. now due to air throughout his body he is swollen
I am not doing well friends.. I feel like my heart has been torn out.. my best friend ever is gone.. thank you for your notes & your prayers..just wanted to give you an update & sorry if I missed someone who wrote...
Post on MY state of affairs 24 hours later
( post 54 at finest)
and here is the post
I hated to start keying in screenenames as I am sure I missed someone. thank you for your notes of encouragement & suggestions on many things.
Interesting that being a grief counselor surely doesn't help one much when in the grief soup. What one knows intellectually is different from what one experiences in spirit & soul
rather than write the same things via FReepmail or posts, I am doing a mass response to ideas etc.& letting you know how things go. Will be posting no doubt the same item at Finest(because I am lazy)
Oliver is still in my van. I am sure to some of you this sounds weird but I still feels good to be able to go out & hold him & kiss him
. After talking with law enforcement, vets, friends have about decided against an autopsy. Nothing is totally firm
I will be having burial, services - if you will - in a few days. The ground is cold & semi frozen & all who come will help dig the grave. A friend will be making a simple wooden casket. Another friend will be doing the grave marker.
His resting place will be in the rear of the property overlooking the national park that he so dearly loved to run in & where I initially found him 4+ years ago.
Oliver was "claimed" by many friends who did not have pets but called O "their boy" and went with me frequently on excursions of hiking, skiing & biking with him.
I slept a few hours last night & was dragged out & almost force fed by caring friend. Those of you who have lost pets suddenly know the difficulty & it almost seems sacrilegious to be even posting THIS as I know there are FR family now morning the loss of parents, children, siblings etc.. But loss is loss
Oliver's dog, Toby is really missing him. Oliver never let Toby get close to me.. emotionally or physically. If T came close, Oliver let him know quickly, what the pecking order was. Oliver was NEVER Alpha to ANYTHING until Toby. Toby is sitting most of the time on the place where I had Oliver the night I brought his body in when he died. He is resting his head (like a pillow) on Oliver's baby(stuffed teddy) which he was never permitted to touch/play with.
He is afraid to get on the bed (Oliver growled him off) etc. Because of his severely injured paw from about a week ago, Toby cannot run for now but when I take him out on leash he goes to the van and cries gently.
Thank you for indulging me as I share some pix. those who know me well, know I take pictures continually. I have hundreds of Oliver in the archives Various pix of O.. One is a pix of Oliver (head ) and Toby in the golf course where I walk them each Sunday after church. There are hundreds of acres of metro park / wild forest surrounding the golf course & that is where they romp. the other Link is a video of O & T. on the 23rdNov... they had been wildly running & playing. When I decided to do a video to capture it, they became calmer.. oh, well.
thank you again for your thoughts, notes etc. if I missed someone please know, I am pretty brain fried still and without that excuse am not the best detail person..
I am thinking now of I Corinthians 13.. and the greatest of these is love..
yes, thank you for YOUR expressions of concern & love..AND I thank God for the love of one of his creation that He permitted me to experience for 4 wonderful years. I know that my redeemer lives and I will be with Him AND my dear Oliver someday.
(avove)FReeping at a Brown's game last fall
(above) the back yard area overlooking where he will be buried
The Day I found him (above) abandoned in the river in a sewer pipe
