You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
--Unknown
As a pet owner, I know that the heartbreak of pet ownership is that, you end up saying goodbye to them before they say goobye to you. To be clear, Korey was not my dog. I started dating her owner, Jacob, when she was about a year old. And through our tumultuous relationship the dark grey Weimaraner grew up to into her 10th year of life before moving on...
Korey loved the water. She would chase a bumper as long as there was someone to throw it for her. With her natural instinct to retrieve, Jacob trained her to duck hunt. She loved hunting season and loved going with him. Many mornings I was woken up at 4 am from her whining because she couldn't contain her excitement as he loaded up the truck. On the few occasions I went with them to the lake, I would watch her...decked out in her camo vest, intent on her task. She prefered to ride towards the front of the boat, ears flapping in the wind. Her yellow eyes would scan the water, ready to jump in. Occasionally her impatience for Jacob prevailed and she would jump in when she felt like it, not waiting for his command.
At home she never understood why she wasn’t like the little dogs. She truly believed she could fit her full 70 lbs in your lap. If you laid next to her she wanted to be as close as possible to you. Many times while on the computer she would come up underneath my arm and knock it away from the mouse with her head as if to say “Its time to pet me - I need some attention.” Korey was always happy to see you and made her affection known by wiggling her nub of a tail and giving a well placed lick to the face...or hand...or leg (whatever was available). She was not allowed on the bed but it was undoubtedly her favorite spot to sleep besides the couch - another place she was not allowed. If her “baby” (a plastic crab and the only toy she wouldn’t chew to pieces) was on your pillow, it was a sure sign she was napping in a forbidden spot.
Korey also loved to eat. She couldn’t be trusted alone with any food. Once after a successful hunt, Jacob was making stuffed dove breast for dinner. I sat in the living room while he was in the kitchen soaking the dove in Dr. Pepper, stuffing it with cream cheese, and wrapping it in bacon. I remember how excited he was about that meal. She was at his feet the whole time because she knew something exciting was happening also. He made the mistake of going to light the grill while Korey stayed behind in the kitchen. Although he was only gone for a couple of minutes, it was all the time she needed to devour the dove - skewers and all. It was hard to be angry with her when she’s giving you a look that says “I know I was bad, but you should have known better...”
On her final day, despite whatever she was feeling, her little nub of a tail wiggled at me when I walked through the door. On the way to the vet, I sat with her in the back of the truck, stroking her head and ears; softly telling her "good girl".
She and I waited while Jacob went inside to get the vet. I don’t know if the sound of my voice brought her any comfort. I guess I would like to believe that it did. While we sat, I told her about how she would see her old friend, “fat dog”, soon. I told her that where she was going she could swim whenever she wanted and there was always someone who wanted to play fetch. I told her that the hunters are all excellent shots and there are always birds to retrieve. I apologized that Jacob and I couldn’t come with her but that we would see her soon and that we expected lots of licks from her when we got there. Her eyes looked tired but not painful. This year’s hunting season was over. She was ready to go.
The end was very quick. They took her to the back and within minutes she was gone. We sat in the exam room, with tears in our eyes, listening to the vet tell us that she didn’t suffer - that between her heart condition and the tumor in her lungs, Jacob had done all he could do.
Now she will be laid to rest. Her ashes will be spread at two of her favorite spots...one last ride out to the lake and one final trip to Jacob's father's house. So goodbye sweet girl. Although you weren't mine, I loved you just the same and will miss you always until I see you again.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven,
then when I die I want to go
where they went."
Will Rogers, 1897-1935
