Friday, April 29th, 2005, the world said good-bye to a good and faithful friend. Cuddles Smith, our family dog since 1990, past away peacefully at Baccaleu Trail Animal Hospital. Cuddles was seriously more like a brother than a dog. I often accused my mother of loving him more than she loved me (which of course was not true but would make us all laugh) She would often confuse our names the way parents do with their children. She'd call me cuddles and cuddles Kathy. It was quite confusing for both of us.
Cuddles was a terrier mix, who barked like a savage anytime someone came to or exited from our home. He was our guard dog, who looked like a shrunken sheep dog protecting his flock. Veterinarians all over the world would disapprove of Cuddles very human-like diet. Every morning my mother would make him toast and coffee. That dog loved his coffee and would often whimper and beg until she made him a cup with cream and sugar. He loved Italian food. Spaghetti, lasagna, you name it. Mom would have to catch him when he was finished eatting it because if not he would run to the light colored carpet in the living room to wipe the tomato sauce from his beard. He loved his toys and understood three things.
#1) "Cuddles, where is your toy?" he would run and find it and bring it to you for a rousing game of fetch.
#2)"Dad's home!" He would run to the window and wag his tail expectantly for his Father to come in the drive way. From a 1/2 a mile away, Cuddles could see our car, recognize it, and begin barking his head of with excitement.
#3) last but not least was his name or anything that started with a 'C'. If I yelled, "cabbage," he'd come running. He didn't have alot going on upstairs, but he was precious to our family.
Mom noticed that he wasn't doing very well and so she brought him to the vet Friday morning. They did an X-ray and discovered that his lungs were taken over by cancer. There was nothing they could do, so they held him as he was put to sleep. That day they burried him beneath the honey suckle tree in our yard with all of his favorite toys. He was a good dog who lived a very long and beautiful life. He was spoiled rotten with love and attention. Part of me truly believes that all dogs go to heaven, and when Melissa and I were little we made sure that all of our animals accepted Christ. We even put their paws together as though they were praying. Some may say that's blasphemy, but when I was 7 and Melissa was 10, we were very concerned about the spiritual welfare of our animals.
If you're an animal lover and you can empathize with this situation, whisper a little prayer for the Smith Family in Green's Harbour, Newfoundland. We've lost a very important member of our family who will forever be remembered and missed.
Cuddles Smith
1990-2005
1 comment:
Post a Comment