Saying Goodbye to Kobi....

With great sadness Matt & I said goodbye to our beloved dog of 16 years...

He was such a big part of our family and I will miss him terribly. Kobi lived 100% up until the night before we took him to the vet. He was struggling to walk and I knew his arthritis was getting bad. Even so, he attempted to follow me where ever I went and he would not let me out of his sight. This morning he could not walk--even though he tried.

Kobi did not cry or whine. He just kept looking up at me with his big Kobi eyes and I knew that I might have to make a decision I wasn't ready to make. The vet confirmed my suspicions that he had neurological problems and his back legs had become paralyzed. He also said that it was unlikely he could ever regain the strength. He was a 90 year old man.

It's true what they say, that it never gets any easier. I think it was especially hard to say goodbye to Kobi. He was my first dog of my adult life and for 16 years he guarded our house, left "pee" mail on his daily walks, befriended all the neighbors (Tom & Jan--his 2nd parents--who were there to say goodbye as well. Bless their hearts, they rushed to the vet to say goodbye. Tom even did an illegal left turn in front of a cop... ), shared his dog bed with the cats, awaited Thursday "steak night" like a puppy—running back and forth from the garage to his dog dish when Matt pulled into the garage, and he provided an infinite amount of unconditional love. He was a beautiful dog. Matt and I used to joke that he was the "Brad Pitt" of the dog "hood". He was truly a really GREAT dog. I loved him dearly and I will continue to love him in memory. R.I.P. Kobi Dog.

Kobi's New Bed

Kobi has been sleeping on the hard floor because the cats keep taking over his stuffed bed and I think its just too hot. I wanted him to have a cool place to lay down that still supported his joints. I found this Coolaroo bed online. It's just high enough to get him off the floor and give him support as well as make it easy for him to get on and off. I think he likes it!

Kobi's Not So Great Day...

My dog Kobi has always acted younger than his age. He's 13.5 (He may be 14 but I think 13.5 sounds better) and for a bigger dog that's getting up there. He's has a pretty pampered life and still loves his walks, herding his cats and running out to scare off a bunny or squirrel in the yard. I'm optimistic that he has at least a couple of quality years left...so at the advice of my vet, I had his teeth cleaned—and while they were doing that—they removed 4 lumps that were in his armpit area. Eventually those lumps were going to be an issue with movement. Not to mention, it was important to know exactly what those lumps were.

The verdict was no cancer. The lumps were lipomas, which are common in older dogs. That's good news. I was also lucky that he had no tooth fractures, infections or dental issues other than a nice coat of tartar that got removed. His teeth are now all shiny and white. He has the teeth of a puppy now.

That being said, the bad part is that it's just harder for an old dog to bounce back from anesthesia and drugs. He was pretty pathetic when I brought him home yesterday. He would cry and whimper when Matt or I were not in immediate proximity to him and he couldn't stand on his own—letting out big yelps when we tried to move him. We finally got him to the bedroom and on a thick rug so he wasn't laying on the hard floor. I woke up at 1:30 a.m. when I heard his collar shake and looked over to see him sitting up and then he rearranged himself to be more comfortable. This morning he got up on his own and is now walking around pretty good. He took a nice drink from the his water dish (I put ice cubes in his water—he loves that) and snarfed down a little doggy sausage. That's always a good sign. He follows me from room to room and lies down somewhere between where Matt is and where I am, so he can watch his people.

I know I'm going to be quite pathetic when I have to say good-bye to my buddy... but that won't be for a few years now.

Below are a few photos to show his "war wounds". He's on the mend and he'll be back to his daily routine soon.