Farewell, good dog

If it's been a while since I've written, well, we've been a bit preoccupied. I started back at work, we've been doing a lot around the house, and yesterday we had to say goodbye to our Whompus.

Whompus came into my husband's life when he was in his early twenties. He came home from the Marines for a visit and was greeted by his parents' new dog, a young Catahoula named Katie. She belonged to his dad, and they were inseparable until his father passed away in 2003.

Then, the Whompus became my husband's dog, and she loved him so. When we moved in together in 2007 she and I clicked, and we had a lot of fun together. We took hikes around the apartment complex, chased squirrels, and cuddled on the couch as often as we could.

Me and the Whomps, circa 2007

When she turned 10, she started slowing waaay down. She could no longer get on the couch without support, and stairs were incredibly hard. We put her on medications for her joints, special treats, and a special food, which helped a little bit. But she missed her couch, and she missed our walks. At least she had a nice yard to lay in when we bought our house, and could take in the sun.

The last three years have been a struggle for her. She defended us against squirrels, invisible tigers, and joggers. She also lost all controls of her body functions, lost her ability to go up the stairs, and had to be separated from our new baby after snapping at her. It wasn't her fault, and all the training in the world wasn't enough to keep an old hound dog from wanting to chase and eat this small, crawling thing.

She got old in the last six months, and every day we wondered when it would be time. There were many times when we thought "this is it" and the vet would give her medicine that extended her life, but never really made it any better.

Finally, at the age of 14 years and a titch, she has gotten the rest she deserves. She was able to go with her head on her human's lap, and my arms wrapped around her. She's up jogging with her original dad where there is no pain, no harassing cats, and all the table scraps she can eat.

Bye Whompus. You were awesome.