One year later….

A year ago today, one week after Black Friday 2013, there was a black Friday of my own in my house that tore me apart, and even to this day still does. It was the day one of the most loving, caring pets in my life left me. I had lost dogs before, 6 years prior when my golden Rusty passed in my arms, but last year it was really rough to see Monty pass away.

You see, the backstory…we got Monty from the animal shelter August 2009. A pommie who was full of life. It took him up until I went back to school for my last year of college for him to take a liking to me, but he was a good boy. Whenever he heard fighting among my parents, he would run to me and hide. And oh how he loved to hide! We would find him in the most peculiar spots, burrowing himself in a blanket and making it so his nose poked out from one of the corners. The dog was just funny in his own special way and was full of life. And then within a matter of 6 days, that life just teetered off.

The Sunday before he died, we could tell he wasn’t himself. Going outside to go potty and not doing anything until he came inside, the lack of wanting to do much. There was something wrong and we took him to the vet the next day, had a tumor removed from his ass. The vet told us he had a form of cancer that had gone right to his heart and that he might not make it for another 5-10 days. The next day, he didn’t want to stand up, didn’t want to eat, drink…nothing. He lost control of his bodily functions and needed doggie diapers. From Tuesday until Friday, I only saw him get up once, to run to the kitchen table and just pee away like he normally did when he was upset. And he refused to eat, we had to give him doggie formula in a small bottle, which he drank up, but you could tell he didn’t want to do that.

And then, 365 days ago was the day that put me over the edge. Everyone had to work, and we all were wondering how Monty was going to be. I left at 8:30 that morning and saw him on his favorite pillow, lying there. He had a flash of that smile I loved so much, and he did what I called his doggie laugh, where he smiled and just did something that resembled a laugh. He was going to pull though. I told him to hang in there & that brother would be home soon to give him love…

3 pm arrives. I had to drop something off and then I arrived home & walked in the door. I saw mom bent down near the pillow calling Monty’s name…his tongue hanging out of his mouth, just lying there motionless. He passed between the time I left and the time I got home. I burst into tears, & it was just hard to deal with. That entire weekend I just wanted to be left alone, my heart was crushed into a thousand pieces. It hurt even the most because our black lab kept looking for him and gave me the sad dog eyes because she knew he wasn’t there.

Two days after Monty passed away, we got a puppy named Dante. He is special in his own way, but there will never be another Monty. He was one of a kind. A year later & his death still brings me to tears thinking of him and his last days alive.