A little over six years ago I was contacted by Heavenly Creatures. They wanted me to assess a Rottweiler who was turned into Sunrise Animal Hospital. He had been tethered outside, the chain wrapped around his leg. The leg became lacerated and eventually infected. Gangrene set in and when the dog was brought to the vet, the leg had to be amputated. He had some issues. He was very vocal and it was difficult to say whether he was showing warning signs for a bite or a kiss. Heavenly Creatures wanted me to assess him for adaptability.
Diesel at Sunrise soon after being brought in. His poor leg was seriously infected.
I will never forget the stench when I walked into the room. I will also never forget the smile Diesel gave me as he hopped over to me, sat on my feet and got some loving. I remember him mumbling and groaning and being an ass. He definitely was not a dog for the faint of heart.
Myself and the volunteers fell in love though. I told Heavenly Creatures to go through with the surgery, I would take him home with me and foster him until he got on his feet again. In that time I would be able to further assess him and work on his issues.
A couple of days later I brought him home.
Diesel, a few days after coming home from the vet minus his leg.
It was not all peaches and cream.
As he came off the medication and healed up, his personality started shining through. He could be such a moron. He had very little in the way of manners, he challenged Tanner all of the time, loved Morgan, and left Rigger alone. It was funny to see him look at the Kitty with complete ambivalence.
I was amazed at how fast he healed up. The day that I got him home, he went on a walk with myself and my dogs. He was immediately welcomed into the pack and fit in really really well. I have pictures of him in my house with other dogs outside of the pack. He learned to walk well and gradually learned some manners. He had such a goofy personality, it was hard not to fall in love with him.
How could you now love that face
Nothing broke his spirit. I remember one afternoon watching him run around after the other dogs with a big grin on his face. He was trying to keep up and couldn’t but god love him, he was loving it.
He loved Morgan…always wanted to hang out and cuddle with him
He became very attached to me. I could not move, he would be behind me. It was hard getting him to settle unless I settled. He loved Morgan and when he was not humping him, he was cuddled up next to him. He even tried to do the same with Rigger..she was not as impressed and he decided to admire her from a few feet away.
This was typical Diesel, eyes always on me
A couple of months later I was approached by Susan and Colin Barrett. Susan and Colin were my very first clients. They had just lost one of their small dogs and were looking to adopt another into their family. They wanted to meet both Rigger and Diesel and see how each fit. After a couple of meetings, Diesel went into his furever home.
A better home he could not have asked for.
Diesel in his new home and loving life
The family immediately fell in love with him. He was Susan’s “monster”. She could not look at his face without smiling. He had a special bond with Tyler. Diesel became his best friend. The bond those two shared was amazing to see.
With his family, high on life
Over the years Diesel wound up with other issues. He suffered ligament tears in his one good back leg. No surprise given that leg had to work overtime to compensate for his missing leg. This slowed him down even more. He grew to dislike certain other dogs. You could not really trust him around them. He could be protective of his home although this depended on the person. He was a challenge but the Barretts loved him anyway.
Out at the cabin being a goof
I often visited over the years. I thank Susan and Colin for the opportunity to do so. Diesel always met me with a smile and lots and LOTS of love. Oh hell, he would come out of his skin when he saw me. He could not wait for me to sit down so he could climb up in my lap, try to get as close to me as he could. He would whine, moan, lick and hug….whoever did the study saying that dogs do not like hugs obviously never had Diesel in the study. He would have been way outside that bell curve. Diesel made me feel very special. If I was in the room nobody else existed.
One of my favourite times to see him was his birthday. Every year Susan and Colin threw him a birthday party. I would show up to their house to 30 plus people, party hats, food, presents and Diesel was the centre of everyone’s attention. I have pictures from every year. Again the grin and the love said it all.
One of his birthdays, again typical Diesel
I received a message from the Barretts two weeks ago that Diesel’s health had taken another downturn. He began limping on one of his front legs. Susan and Colin took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with cancer in his front leg. There was little that could be done other than to keep him comfortable. He went downhill quickly.
Susan contacted me last week to say he had days. She asked me to stop by and see him. Of course, I was honoured. I went to their house this week to say my good bye. Diesel was laying on his bed when I came in. He had not been too lively that night. When I walked in, he took one look and tried to hurl himself off the bed to get to my side. I sat on his bed with him in my lap for over an hour, enduring all kinds of kisses and hugs and whines and groans. Ya, I loved the big lug.
Us saying our good byes. Susan said he barely picked his head up that whole night, he was so tired with all the people. He perked up when he saw me
Thursday he was put to rest.
I sit here writing this, bawling my eyes out. If there ever was a being on the face of the earth who was born without malice, who had the ability to display total complete unconditional love, who lived every minute in the moment..it is our dogs. I honestly do not know what we humans have ever done to deserve what they offer us. We complain about the hair, complain about not having the time, complain about them not having manners. Yet they look at us with unbridled love and patience. Sure, we teach our dogs a thing or two but our dogs teach us so much more.
Diesel my friend, I learned so much from you. Please know that you will always hold a special place in my heart. Run free sweet boy across that rainbow bridge. Find Rigger and other members of the pack. They would love to see you.
RIP my friend!!!
Until we meet again