RUNNING FREE ON RAINBOW BRIDGE

March 15, 2012 | Fairfield Daily Republic
Saying goodbye to a Beagle Brother
by Kelvin Wade

As I stroked his soft furry face, I nodded and the vet injected an anesthetic into my beagle Tyson’s front right paw. He was wrapped in a blanket in the arms of the veterinary assistant. I continued petting him and stroking him and telling him he was a good boy. He grew slack. His eyes slowly closed and his regal head bowed.

The vet injected a second solution that stopped Tyson’s heart in a matter of seconds. I was surprised by how fast it was. One moment he was there with us in a tiny antiseptic room and the next, all life had fled him.

The vet asked if I’d like to spend a few moments with him and at first I said yes. But then I said no. I didn’t want my final memories to be me holding his lifeless body. I whispered, “Take him.” And as I left, I was moved that the vet herself was crying.

My girlfriend Cathi sat sobbing outside the small office door with Tyson’s brother Theo, who barked the anguish we all felt.

How did it come to this? A routine checkup 10 days earlier had ended in the death of one of my beloved beagles. The 10 days were a blur of medical terms. Platelets. Petechiae. Anemia. Prednisone. Doxycycline. Nothing halted his downward spiral.

Longtime readers will recall when we acquired the Beagle Brothers 10 years ago. I wrote several columns on their crazy, noisy, destructive and coprophagic ways. We’d gotten them from what turned out to be a dishonest breeder who eventually went to jail for running a puppy mill and selling sickly animals.

Despite their health issues, we gave them the best lives we could.

Tyson was the alpha dog. He earned his moniker because he would frequently bite his brother Theo’s ear. Tyson was bigger than Theo and his bark was a typical rich beagle AROO! Theo was the noisier one, barking like a series of gunshots. Theo snorted like a pig and ate like one, too.

In the past when I left the beagles alone, I’d come home to their destruction. Sometimes they found a napkin to shred or they knocked everything off the side table next to my recliner. I’d frequently blame Theo. But since losing Tyson, I come home to find nothing out of place. I’ve learned that it was my beloved Tyson who was causing the destruction and blaming his brother. Theo and I have grown closer.

It’s not easy to grieve a pet. Only other pet owners can really understand the strong bond we forge with our animals. Some may bristle when pets are referred to as “family members” but, like I said, most dog lovers will understand. We see them as a reservoir of unconditional love and yes; we tend to anthropomorphize our furry friends.

When you pick up the paper and see Fairfield has its fifth murder of the year in March, it just confirms to a pet owner that animals are easier to love than people. It’s sad that it seems we find greater “humanity” in animals than our fellow man.

When I look at all that’s going on right now with gas prices, city budget cuts, school district cuts, tax proposals and gang violence, sometimes the only way to let go of the stress of all of that is playing with my dogs.

That’s what Tyson gave to me. Peace.

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ADDITIONAL NOTES: I didn't intend to run this column this week. But I figured I owed it to readers who'd read some of my earlier columns about the exploits of the Beagle Brothers. I've been truly overwhelmed by the response I've received. So many people have shared their stories of losing their pets. It's not something that's talked about much. People are afraid to mention it. Afraid someone is going to say, "Get over it. It was only an animal," or "Get another one." People pretty much grieve for their pets in silence and move on.

Theo is doing better than I expected. I think he's accepted that his brother isn't coming back. He doesn't hop on the bed and stare at the door like he did the first few days. Besides, Theo can be easily distracted with food. Rafi seems to be pretty oblivious but she didn't interact much with the Beagles. It's amazing how much companionship an animal can provide.