Goodbye,Dayton

It's hard being a pet owner.
Oh, it is more gratifying than you can know (if you aren't one), but it always has the heartbreak at the end.

Tonight, I decided to make that decision with the consultation of my family and try to do what is best for Big Ed (Dayton).
The big boy was just in distress and I just couldn't stand to watch this anymore.
The diagnosis was terminal cancer early last week from his blood test and despite an initial boost from the medication, after a few days, Ed returned to being ill and I just don't want to see him suffer.

It's hard to believe the big guy was here just eight and a half years.
It seemed so much longer.
Long time readers might remember the short post-Welcoming Dayton   that introduced him after Battlin' Bob and I brought him home.
Dayton had some issues at his previous home (not mean ones at all), so his family was looking to move him away-we were willing to welcome him and we loved having him in our home as part of our family.

Dayton was the perfect fit in many ways for our home.
He liked things quiet and so do we, but the mildest disruption would send him barking and so many visitors would think he was this out of control dog that was crazy.
It was the opposite.
In many ways, he was the easiest dog to deal with that I have ever had.
He liked his cage, he felt at home there and I wanted to make him happy.
Ed did his job-he barked loud and he brought attention to people that were arriving.
He did his job to the very end-when Ryan came over to help me with the final ride, Ed hauled himself to his feet and barked to let me know someone was there.

I'll miss Big Ed more than I can say.
He did his job and he did it well.
Boxers are susceptible to cancer and Ed was no different.
We loved him for his eight and a half year run here and only wished it could have been longer.
I'll remember him best like this-in the picture that his previous owners advertised him with.
Some personality that few others got to see, but that those of us honored to have him with us were proud to be part of our family.
Ed loved to ride in the car and he was better in the car, despite his size than any of our other smaller dogs.
On his last ride, he was still going back and forth, looking out the window doing what he loved to do...

A lot has changed since January of 2009.
Back then, Teddy was the dog hanging around with Ed, now it's Posey.
Ryan was living here then and Ed's the final link to his days here.
Ironically, Ryan has an adorable new pug puppy named Oscar that we just met on Sunday.-Starts and Finishes.
Friends that were around a lot then, aren't around as much and new friends that we didn't know at all or barely knew at all have become a major part of our lives.
Life starts and ends and people and pets come and go, but it's important in times like these to remember how special they are before they go and be able to reflect on the good times as well.

Thanks to Ryan for being so helpful in taking Ed to vet appointments and the final walk.
Thanks to Doug Hopkins, Fred Landucci, and Derreck Chupak for calling almost every day to check on Ed and his family and being available if we needed anything.
You all are appreciated...

See ya' Big Ed, I hope I've lived a good enough life to see you again someday.
Give Teddy my best.

Editor's Note: I just wanted to add a brief note to this and thank everyone for their kindness at this time.
Facebook can be a crazy place, but if you have a certain level of decorum and if you pick and choose who you friend (I'm pretty choosy, maybe even to the point of snotty), it can be a really great thing.
I've gotten notes ranging from my best friends to family members to former players of mine to friends of mine in the graphing community today that offer condolences on the loss of Ed.
It makes me think of the importance of pets to all of us.
Almost everyone has felt the loss that we felt last night and I think that's why folks are so feeling when we lose these members of our family -they have been there too.
Today has been a very tough day and there is a vacancy where Ed used to be here (literally, Ryan took his cage last night with him, so we wouldn't have to look at it.
Still, even with it not there, it'll take a while before it truly "isn't".
It's tough walking to the kitchen and not seeing him looking at me, sniffing my hand and waiting for me to turn toward the fridge, standing at attention waiting for the always coming treat.

It'll get better, but I did want to thank everyone for their thoughts and comments-they mean more to me and my ladies than you can know.
Facebook can be a pretty nice place when used properly.
Today it was.
Thanks again.