Today was not a good day. I had to put my dog Banjo to sleep. He was almost 15 years old. We noticed for the past few years he had problems getting around, but he was a tough hard headed dog, but he was also very loving. Well, this morning we were going to work and we noticed he wasn’t outside of his doghouse like usual, so I went to check on him and he could not even get up. I helped him up and I noticed he had no control over his bladder. He was wetting himself the whole time he was trying to move.
We gave him a nice hot bath, some pain pills and loved and petted him, but he just laid there not even trying to move. He was in serious pain. Me and Billie finally decided to put him down, it was a hard decision but it was for the best. I called the vet and they said come on in. We put Banjo in the truck (he always loved riding in the truck) and drove to the vet’s office. It was a short ride, I wished it could have been longer. Banjo usually likes to sit up and feel the wind in his face, but this time he just laid there with his head in Billie’s lap. I went into the office to tell them who I was and what I was there for and could hardly speak. I was so choked up I just knew I was going to break down right there. I paid the money and the lady said the vet would be right out. I went to the truck and me and Billie just rubbed Banjo and waited. Finally the vet came out. He did his thing and he assured us it was the right thing to do. He was very understanding. He said he never seen a dalmatian that old. Even though I know it was the right thing to do,I still felt terrible. We drove back home and picked a spot under a big oak in the back yard to bury him. It was so hard, both physically and mentally.
Even though some people may say he was just a dog, he was MY dog, my pal and my friend. I will miss the way he barked, the way he used to jump, the way he leaned on me, the way he howled at the sirens, everything about him. I will always miss and love you Banjo.