I have not posted in a while. But, it is with heavy heart that I report the passing of my littlest boy, my black, bow-legged shih tzu, CoCo. He passed away on 4/3/2010 from the effects of Cushings disease. We had CoCo and his little companion, Lexi, about 5 years. He and Lexi actually belonged to my next door neighbor for the first year of his life. She neglected them terribly. Their life consisted of living on a 5x10 back deck with no cover in all types of weather. Their hair was matted and when it rained, it was heartbreaking as they ran to and fro on the back deck trying to get shelter. When it was too hot or cold, they suffered.
My wife could not take the neglect anymore and went over to my neighbor's house and talked her into giving us CoCo and Lexi. When we got them their hair was matted up horribly and they smelled so bad. It was hard to believe that these two little bundles of energy were allowed to suffer like this but, they were. Anyway we had their hair cut, health checked, and they then worked their way into our hearts. We already had two dogs, a chihuahua named Taterbug and an old hound-dog, Spot. We had plenty of love for more dogs. As time went on CoCo became the alpha male and dominated the household, even though he was small. His personality was comical and his eyes held an intelligence and understanding that let you know that he knew everything going on in our house. He and Lexi along with the others were treated as full members of our family. For 5 years, he and the others brought a lot of love, loyalty and happiness to our household. He was difficult to housetrain, so we used diapers on him. He eventually got it, and we quit with the diapers but when he had them on he was adorable. I grew to love them as you would love a child. And I know he loved me but in reality, I was number two in his life. My wife was number one.
Last summer, I noticed he was panting a lot, drinking a lot, peeing a lot, and his belly had started to swell. He also was developing little cysts under his skin. We took him to the vet and got the diagnosis...Cushings Disease. It is a little tumor that develops on their pituitary gland and makes them secrete too much of a hormone called cortisol. Anyway, we were treating it and he was doing okay, not great but he still had that fire in his eyes and mischief in his heart. His energy was waning. One day he would be okay, the next he would sleep a lot. Our lives revolved around this little boy and his sickness. We never left him alone, never let him go hungry, never let him get dirty. We would clean him when incontinence struck, clean his little butt when he was passing blood. We tucked him in at night, and basically treated him as one would a human that was sick. He had good days and bad days. My wife fussed over him so much that he grew to love her more than anybody. He was a Momma's boy. She kept his hair cut, fed him well, talked to him constantly, and woke up with him at night to use the bathroom. But, he never acted sick. Sure, he would sleep and be a little tired, but the disease was really messing with him, yet he never really showed it. In my blissful ignorance, I did not know how very sick he was. Even when he was feeling his worst, he would always greet me after work with his tail wagging and his whole body shaking with glee. At night, I would try to read and he would have to lick my face for as long as I let him. He would get on one side and Lexi would get on the other and lick my face until I could not take it anymore. I told my wife they were "kissing me in stereo".
Sadly, he lost his battle on 4/3/2010. We woke up to find him, barely alive in the hallway. My wife and son rushed him to the vet's. He died in her arms and the last thing he saw was my wife's face, crying, telling him how much she loved him and what a good boy he was, and begging him to wake up. I buried him in the back yard and made a beautiful little plot for him, covered with red brick and lattice railing. The grief was staggering. I have cried a million tears for that little dog. He brought so much happiness into our lives. I have had a long stretch of bad things happening in my life but this one took the wind right out of me. My wife and I loved this little perfect creature so much that it actually affected me more than when my Mom died in 2007. I think it is because he was a huge part of our lives everyday. With a dog, there is no guile, no deceit, no lying, no cheating. They are perfect examples of God's love towards us and we are only allowed to borrow them for a short while. We loved CoCo but God loved him first. People I know tell me, "It is just a dog". Well, that dog meant more to me and my family than most humans do. To us he was so much more. He is loved and will be missed. He holds a spot in my heart until the day I die. I know life goes on, but I think flowers will be a little duller, music will not be as pretty, colors will not be as bright, for a long time to come for us.
