A Dog's Life Remembered

We lost our beloved golden retriever Lucky last night to terminal cancer after a month-long battle in which he still kept his spirit. He touched our lives and those of many people over the years with his good and loving nature.

In the 10 years we shared with him, we enjoyed his company in a hotel in Manhattan, on the beach in Miami, going cross-country in the car, in the wildness of the Arizona mountains and even on his first flight in a plane this year, back to New York. His companionship was constant and heartfelt, and his facial expressions, as many people have said over the years, were quite human.

I've had a minister and others tell me that only humans go to heaven, but knowing how much Lucky loved others makes me rather inclined to think that good dogs do go to heaven, too. Why would we lack the animal companionship we cherish on earth in a place that is meant to be the ultimate realization of our souls? It would be a less playful, joyful place without dogs in it.

It seemed that Lucky, who always loved Christmas, held on so that he could share it with us. The night before J.D. went back to New York, he became violently ill and was unable to walk. We hoped, that like other times, he might regain his strength in the morning, but it was not to be. After a day of lying immobile, we took him to the vet to see if there was anything that could be done. We learned he had massive internal bleeding, and would not recover. His kidneys had shut down and he was in pain.

His vet, Dr. Tammy Pouletto, broke the news gently and gave us a room to stay in where we sat with him and had time to talk with him and pet him to prepare him and ourselves for his death. Lucky, who has always seemed preternaturally intelligent, was graceful to the end, lying quietly and waiting for the injection. The catheter in his leg was wrapped in a bandage that had a heart on it.

Although the house seems empty and we are grieving now, we know that Lucky is in a better place. We hope that we will be able to see him again some day in the sweet by-and-by.