I am going to write a eulogy for a beautiful soul.
Barkley, our eight year old golden retriever, died suddenly this week, without warning that he was sick. He exhibited signs for literally two hours before we took him to the vet and he died as my husband carried him into the vet’s office.
There was nothing to be done and we can only guess what happened. Probably he had a tumor burst or an anuerysm.
Golden Retrievers often die of cancer and he might have had something growing we knew nothing about. We will never know. No autopsy was ordered. It didn’t make sense to us.
All my husband could do was hold him and cry there at the vet’s office.
He returned home without our dog and I had just woken up so I did not even get to say goodbye because this all happened before 7:00 am.
I can’t make sense of this. But who can make sense of death?
Barkley was lively and silly and an eternal puppy who wanted very simple things in life: love and cuddling, someone to play with his squeaky pig with him, and food. Those were his needs.
What he gave back was total devotion and love and a big fluffy body that was always ready to act as a body pillow on the couch. He really didn’t want much.
He liked to play with all dogs of any size.
He loved his walks.
He loved his daddy.
He especially loved to have daddy lie down on the floor with him and stick his nose on his tummy and growl. Barkley was such a fierce 70 pound animal that this was like tickling him and made him wiggle and go nuts. He would start to go ”grrr’ back and eventually get a little to bitey but he never, ever hurt anyone.
Barkley shouldn’t have left us so soon.
He was scared of our chihuahua on the bed at night and maintained his distance, lest the seven pound dog attack him. Silly dog.
I don’t really understand.
I just know he was a beam of doggie sunshine… slightly smelly.
He loved to roll and bring all the grass and crap he could accumulate into the house.
Sweet boy.
Barkley, I love you, baby.
I miss you. You took a piece of my heart. You took a piece of several hearts. So, there are several people in our home limping around without whole hearts.
That won’t change.
All we can do is remember your goofy grin and silly tail.
And how much we love you.
Best, Best Boy.