Rest in Peace Coco

My dog, Coco, passed away from euthanasia on February 19th, 2008.

Coco was an 11-year old, 11lb. Poodle/Pomeranian mix. We found him wandering down the road about a year and a half ago. Poor Coco was in bad shape; he had many broken and missing teeth, he was malnourished, and had a severe arthritis problem. After a thorough, and expensive, vet visit, Coco was ours and healthy as could be expected.

For a dog in such poor shape, he could run extremely fast when he was outside. We often joked that his "doggie narcotics" that we had to give daily for his painful arthritis gave him a "boost". He flung is hind legs back and ran like a gazelle, much to the amusement of everyone watching.

While he was a quick little thing, Coco I think will forever be known for his laziness. He loved to sleep! My wife and I worked alternate shifts, so Coco would sleep in bed with both of us!

He was my buddy. He came with me everywhere, whether I was walking the mailbox, taking trash to the road, or just playing PS2 in the living room. He was my buddy, and preferred me to anyone. The other dogs we have I love equally as much as I love him, but I was his favorite. The other dogs prefer my wife, and in some cases, the kids over me.

We got the bad news on February 18th. Coco had been very lethargic and acting strange. He refused food and water. He slept even more than was normal. The vet gave us the bad news... his kidneys were shutting down. The only option was euthanasia.

When I arrived to see him, I refused to allow this to happen. I bundled Coco up and said I wanted one more night to spend with him. We rented movies, took off of work, and spent a night taking pictures, hugging, crying, and playing with our "old man" one more time before it was his time to go.

I regret to say that I was too emotional to hold him while they injected him... my wife shined here though, and she was able to do it. I took his body home and picked out a great spot for him to spend eternity: close to the dog pen so he could hear his friends, under a shady fruit tree so he never gets hot or hungry, and near the stream on our property so he never gets thristy.

May you rest in piece my poor little Coco...