The Loss of an Animal is Never Easy
Animals play such a large role in nearly all of our lives. Some of us are dog people, while others hold their allegiance to cats.
For our family, dogs have been a huge part of our lives.
When I was just a young boy, my parents got a Golden Retriever from my dads high school friend. His name was Zenith and he was so close to me! We slept together almost every night.
When Zenith passed away, our family was heartbroken and to ease the pain they got a new dog, Skip. Skip was a Schipperke, a Belgian boat dog.
The crazy thing about Schipperke's is that they all look so similar to each other. Most of the time, they weigh between 11-18 pounds and have a docked tail.
We got skip a little over 14 years ago and we have had some great times with him! Although he wasn't always the nicest dog growing up, he got sweeter as he got older.
Over the years, Skip has had numerous nicknames including:
- Skippy
- Mibby (and just about anything with the ending "ibby")
- Badger Dog
- Kimberly
Here is a recent picture of Skip with my dad
Here is Skip a few years ago with one of my sisters!
Times were not always easy for Skip as he often had run-ins with the neighbors and friends. I remember one time he got out of the house and dashed over to the neighbors yard. The neighbor was cleaning up his yard and skip jumped up right as the guy was bending down to pet him and skip bit his finger. Skip was an achilles killer. When people would leave the house he would dart for the door and try to nip your achilles!
Whenever friends would come over, he would smell them. Based off the scent he garnered from the individual he may stay with them all night or leave them alone entirely. As he got older, he started appreciating people more and loved everyone.
Once you started petting Skip, it was nearly impossible to stop. He would reach out to your hand with his paw or he would take his nose and dig it under your hand until to started petting him again.
As he got older, his eyesight and hearing started to worsen. We would call for him to eat, go outside, or to give him a treat and sometimes he would come, while other times he would not. Sometimes he would walk into walls without knowing exactly where he was going, but he always seemed happy!
I still do not know to this day how he could catch treats so well with his eyesight being as poor as it was. His catching percentage was a solid 68% over the course of his life.
My parents and siblings would take the dogs on long walks, sometimes up to 7 miles long. When the other dogs tired, Skip never wavered and would just trot along in his sideways "herding" walk we all got accustomed to.
Recently though, Skip started to wear down. He wasn't able to go on as long of walks, he wouldn't eat as much, and he started to sleep more than usual.
The past few days, Skip has gone downhill at an accelerating pace and there wasn't much that could be done! He held on for as long as possible, but just passed away. Skip had a wonderful life and was spoiled with love and affection from our family for the last 14 years.
Awww Sevin, I'm so sorry to hear about Skippy.
My condolences to you and your family. <3
Thank you for your kind words! We miss him dearly!
Oh sorry you lost skippy. Seriously when am in the clinical and dogs die i will almost be weeping with the owner. I hate hearing dog die especially when they ate emotionally and psychologically attached to it owner. That was what gave me zeal to study veterinary medicine too. Dogs are life saviour. We all just have to believe. But looking at skip from that picture with dad seems he has glaucoma. Didnt you take him to a vet then? Veterinarian could have save her life at least for some more years.
I know how it feels, I also lost my first dog Happy Boy. He was the sweetest dog ever and he always sleeps beside me or sometimes besides my little brother and grandparents. We would go and travel together. However, a year later he suddenly vomitted something yellow he eventually gets better everytime so we just assumed it was nothing serious since he was still so playful and full of energy. Until one day my grandmother found him sleeping silently in the living room, and when she approached him he was already gone. He passed away in his sleep. Fastforward to a year later today, the pain is still here. We wanted to adopt another puppy but I guess we are just not ready yet. I hope it'll get better soon for you 🌻
You write so well Sevin. I could feel the love you and your family had/have for Skip. We experience this unconditional love from our pets (even naughty Achilles killers ;) )that they never really leave our hearts. Skip sounds like he had a great life and lived fully. Sounds so cliche but he kinda lived his own way, loving, biting (when required or needed to discipline others), playing and being loved.
:)
Thank you for your kind words! He was such a quirky dog and that is what we loved about him so much! He did have an awesome life! He never went without a meal! My favorite thing he did was try to break into the garage where he would eat to sneak some food back into the house!
Awe, I am so sorry @sevinwilson . :(
It's okay! You all were the last visitors he had!! :D
It seems the other dogs are missing him though!
Thank you for sharing Skip's story with us. I think often when I look at my dog, Magic, that she won't always be there. It's hard to imagine daily life without her, since she's such an integral part of my days. It helps to know that our pets live happy lives because of being with us, and that's the greatest gift we can give each other. As the Nat King Cole song goes, the greatest thing you could ever learn....
You're welcome! You can't imagine them not being with you, but you know that one day that will be the case! Cherish all of the moments you have with Magic! She seems like an incredible dog!
It's is well buddy.. Nothing can last forever , no matter how long.. All you need to do is get another dog to replace him, very soon you gonna be happy with the new one
You’re right about that! Luckily we have three others still at the house!
The loss of a family member is always painful. That should say it all. Sorry for your loss man.
Thank you for your condolences! It is always tough losing your four legged friend!!
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Damn sorry to hear that man!
It is sad! He was old and his time was up! He lived a good life