[RIP] Wallabee, GSD, 8 years old https://ift.tt/eA8V8J It's been one month today that I had to say goodbye to my best friend, Wallabee. On his paperwork Wallabee was described as a standard German Shepherd Dog, but by no means was that who he was. He was the world's happiest dog, a gentle giant, compassionate and loved everyone - he was my best friend. He was often mistaken for a King Shepherd due to his size. I don't know how he got so big as his mother was 70 lbs and his dad was 80. Wallabee was lean, but stood tall at 100 lbs - who knew being too tall and too gentle would cost him his CKC as these were "defects" by professional standards. I first visited the breeder with an ex as we were looking to get a dog. We saw the cutest little GSD puppies, but I wasn't sure about getting a dog. On the property I was introduced to Shen, a standard Black / Tan GSD who was the father of the current puppies. I also had the pleasure of meeting Kilte, a silver standard GSD who was breathtakingly beautiful. I had never seen a silver Shepherd before and was informed by the breeder that Kilte was going to have a litter of puppies as well. She was not supposed to be pregnant at this time but Shen had gotten up to some shenanigans. I was excited that I could possibly get a silver Shepherd as well and made plans to return after the next litter of pups. From this union Wallabee was born July 2, 2011. I visited somewhere in the 5-6 week mark - there were no silver pups in the litter, but there was one who chose me, barreling over his brothers and sisters and cried at my feet - I didn't choose Wallabee, he chose me. I finished up the paperwork with the breeder, put down my deposit and returned a few weeks later to be reunited with the little fluffball who had stolen my heart. Wallabee was mischievous and tried to get into everything, but he was also very trainable. As he came from a large litter (10 pups) he had a natural tendancy to eat and drink really fast - I had to teach him that he didn't have to fight for food and water, so for weeks I hand-fed him each kibble to slow him down, portioned out water, but refilled it often. Over time he learned to take his time. It also meant you could reach in his mouth and pull a piece of steak out that he was eating. Not only would he let you he'd almost spit it out so there was no chance he'd bite you. We went everywhere together and I socialized him with as many dogs, people and experiences that I could. When he was only a few months old the trouble started; during a walk he found some horse poop and before I knew it he had a mouthful and was chewing vigorously. I managed to pull most of it out but he did swallow some while I was scooping his mouth with my fingers. He became ill and this was our first unscheduled trip to the vet. I learned that where I live, Mennonites typically don't vaccinate their horses and that poop Wallabee ate was full of nasty stuff. A large bill and some antibiotics later he was right as rain. It wasn't long after that we were playing in the yard and again he found something to eat - this time it was some random mushrooms growing in the grass. Back to the vet we went and again another large bill to get him healthy. Again shortly after this I returned home from work and my ex told me Wallabee had gotten a hold of a C or D cell battery. He had punctured it, but she hadn't called me or taken him to the vet because he looked fine. I was livid. I rushed him to the emergency vet who gave me some stuff to coat his stomach and neutralize whatever had gotten into his mouth. This was the beginning of the end of my ex and myself. In the split I made it clear she could take whatever she wanted but I was keeping Wallabee. I made a promise to him to always take care of him and purchased the best pet insurance I could. About a year later he'd meet his new mom when I started dating again. I found a wonderful woman who entered our lives very quickly. A few months later I had to leave for a business trip in HK for two weeks, Wallabee stayed with my family for the first week and my girlfriend watched him for the second. During this time they bonded and became inseparable. She'd later confess to me that when she first met Wallabee she was terrified as she was bitten by a GSD as a child. From then on I'd jokingly complain to her that she broke Wallabee as he became a dog that DEMANDED cuddles. Every day when I came home from work he'd greet me then race up the stairs, jump on the bed and roll over to receive his cuddles - this was our ritual for the next 6 years. Despite being large and apparently intimidating, he loved people and other dogs. For small dogs he'd lay on the ground and wait for them to approach so they'd play with him. He had a nickname with everyone who met him - world's happiest dog. He loved camping and chipmunks. He'd sing to certain songs when I played guitar (theme to the Legend of Zelda), he'd chase deer and rabbits in the woods near us, but had exceptional recall - when I called he'd break chase and return immediately. I was always impressed that his will was stronger than his prey drive. He loved to swim. If there was water and he knew you weren't paying attention he'd wait until you weren't looking and run in it. He was also a velcro dog and would never be more than 10-20 feet away. If you broke line of sight he'd find you - this made for great games of hide and seek, although he always won. He also loved his Barkbox subscription and every month when it came he'd patiently sit in front of you waiting to open the box, his tail making an excited "whap whap whap" sound. If I was working at home, on an ipad or on my phone he'd come up beside me and nudge me with his nose to let me know work was done and it was time to play. For how large he was he was incredibly nimble and stealthy. This was most evident when you were cooking in the kitchen, but the "whap whap whap" of his tail always gave him away. There's a million more great memories with him that I'll cherish forever, but these are just a few I wanted to share. On September 4, 2019 Wallabee stopped eating and we became concerned. We took him to the vet and after various tests determined there was an abnormality in his blood work. They recommended we send him for more tests to a private emergency clinic a little over an hour away. We got the call 1.5 days later and my heart sunk. My best friend, my little puppy had Hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer. Our options were remove his spleen and start him on chemo or begin palliative care. With Chemo and the surgery he would have a 50/50 chance of living another 3 months, without the vet told us a maximum of two weeks. We were told that he wasn't in pain, so we opted to make him comfortable - I took vacation time, personal emergency days and sick days to make sure he was never alone - we made every minute count. He seemed to rebound and was back to the happy puppy we were used to and we were told this was normal, but the two tumors on his spleen were ticking time bombs. The vet told us the longest she'd seen a dog live for at this stage was two weeks. Wallabee gave us 2.5 wonderful weeks before it was time. He got to eat steak dinners, try McDonalds, eggs and bacon, roast beef dinners and plenty of other deliciousness - It's important to note that I was overly strict on his diet his whole life and human food wasn't something he'd get from me (my parents can't make this same claim). September 23 in the evening he stopped eating again and went to the back to lay down. We comforted him, told him we loved him and things went down hill fast. On September 24 at 1:33 am we had to take our best friend to the vet for his forever sleep. I miss him every day, but am truly grateful for all that he taught me. I know one day the good memories will outweigh the pain, but for now I just miss my best friend. Please hug your fur babies a little more and cherish every moment. Some photos of Wallabee: https://imgur.com/a/DTFtjXU dogs Exoctane

It's been one month today that I had to say goodbye to my best friend, Wallabee.

On his paperwork Wallabee was described as a standard German Shepherd Dog, but by no means was that who he was.

He was the world's happiest dog, a gentle giant, compassionate and loved everyone - he was my best friend. He was often mistaken for a King Shepherd due to his size. I don't know how he got so big as his mother was 70 lbs and his dad was 80. Wallabee was lean, but stood tall at 100 lbs - who knew being too tall and too gentle would cost him his CKC as these were "defects" by professional standards.

I first visited the breeder with an ex as we were looking to get a dog. We saw the cutest little GSD puppies, but I wasn't sure about getting a dog. On the property I was introduced to Shen, a standard Black / Tan GSD who was the father of the current puppies. I also had the pleasure of meeting Kilte, a silver standard GSD who was breathtakingly beautiful. I had never seen a silver Shepherd before and was informed by the breeder that Kilte was going to have a litter of puppies as well. She was not supposed to be pregnant at this time but Shen had gotten up to some shenanigans. I was excited that I could possibly get a silver Shepherd as well and made plans to return after the next litter of pups. From this union Wallabee was born July 2, 2011. I visited somewhere in the 5-6 week mark - there were no silver pups in the litter, but there was one who chose me, barreling over his brothers and sisters and cried at my feet - I didn't choose Wallabee, he chose me. I finished up the paperwork with the breeder, put down my deposit and returned a few weeks later to be reunited with the little fluffball who had stolen my heart.

Wallabee was mischievous and tried to get into everything, but he was also very trainable. As he came from a large litter (10 pups) he had a natural tendancy to eat and drink really fast - I had to teach him that he didn't have to fight for food and water, so for weeks I hand-fed him each kibble to slow him down, portioned out water, but refilled it often. Over time he learned to take his time. It also meant you could reach in his mouth and pull a piece of steak out that he was eating. Not only would he let you he'd almost spit it out so there was no chance he'd bite you. We went everywhere together and I socialized him with as many dogs, people and experiences that I could. When he was only a few months old the trouble started; during a walk he found some horse poop and before I knew it he had a mouthful and was chewing vigorously. I managed to pull most of it out but he did swallow some while I was scooping his mouth with my fingers. He became ill and this was our first unscheduled trip to the vet. I learned that where I live, Mennonites typically don't vaccinate their horses and that poop Wallabee ate was full of nasty stuff. A large bill and some antibiotics later he was right as rain. It wasn't long after that we were playing in the yard and again he found something to eat - this time it was some random mushrooms growing in the grass. Back to the vet we went and again another large bill to get him healthy. Again shortly after this I returned home from work and my ex told me Wallabee had gotten a hold of a C or D cell battery. He had punctured it, but she hadn't called me or taken him to the vet because he looked fine. I was livid. I rushed him to the emergency vet who gave me some stuff to coat his stomach and neutralize whatever had gotten into his mouth. This was the beginning of the end of my ex and myself. In the split I made it clear she could take whatever she wanted but I was keeping Wallabee. I made a promise to him to always take care of him and purchased the best pet insurance I could.

About a year later he'd meet his new mom when I started dating again. I found a wonderful woman who entered our lives very quickly. A few months later I had to leave for a business trip in HK for two weeks, Wallabee stayed with my family for the first week and my girlfriend watched him for the second. During this time they bonded and became inseparable. She'd later confess to me that when she first met Wallabee she was terrified as she was bitten by a GSD as a child.

From then on I'd jokingly complain to her that she broke Wallabee as he became a dog that DEMANDED cuddles. Every day when I came home from work he'd greet me then race up the stairs, jump on the bed and roll over to receive his cuddles - this was our ritual for the next 6 years. Despite being large and apparently intimidating, he loved people and other dogs. For small dogs he'd lay on the ground and wait for them to approach so they'd play with him. He had a nickname with everyone who met him - world's happiest dog. He loved camping and chipmunks. He'd sing to certain songs when I played guitar (theme to the Legend of Zelda), he'd chase deer and rabbits in the woods near us, but had exceptional recall - when I called he'd break chase and return immediately. I was always impressed that his will was stronger than his prey drive. He loved to swim. If there was water and he knew you weren't paying attention he'd wait until you weren't looking and run in it. He was also a velcro dog and would never be more than 10-20 feet away. If you broke line of sight he'd find you - this made for great games of hide and seek, although he always won. He also loved his Barkbox subscription and every month when it came he'd patiently sit in front of you waiting to open the box, his tail making an excited "whap whap whap" sound. If I was working at home, on an ipad or on my phone he'd come up beside me and nudge me with his nose to let me know work was done and it was time to play. For how large he was he was incredibly nimble and stealthy. This was most evident when you were cooking in the kitchen, but the "whap whap whap" of his tail always gave him away. There's a million more great memories with him that I'll cherish forever, but these are just a few I wanted to share.

On September 4, 2019 Wallabee stopped eating and we became concerned. We took him to the vet and after various tests determined there was an abnormality in his blood work. They recommended we send him for more tests to a private emergency clinic a little over an hour away. We got the call 1.5 days later and my heart sunk. My best friend, my little puppy had Hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer. Our options were remove his spleen and start him on chemo or begin palliative care. With Chemo and the surgery he would have a 50/50 chance of living another 3 months, without the vet told us a maximum of two weeks. We were told that he wasn't in pain, so we opted to make him comfortable - I took vacation time, personal emergency days and sick days to make sure he was never alone - we made every minute count. He seemed to rebound and was back to the happy puppy we were used to and we were told this was normal, but the two tumors on his spleen were ticking time bombs. The vet told us the longest she'd seen a dog live for at this stage was two weeks. Wallabee gave us 2.5 wonderful weeks before it was time. He got to eat steak dinners, try McDonalds, eggs and bacon, roast beef dinners and plenty of other deliciousness - It's important to note that I was overly strict on his diet his whole life and human food wasn't something he'd get from me (my parents can't make this same claim).

September 23 in the evening he stopped eating again and went to the back to lay down. We comforted him, told him we loved him and things went down hill fast. On September 24 at 1:33 am we had to take our best friend to the vet for his forever sleep.

I miss him every day, but am truly grateful for all that he taught me. I know one day the good memories will outweigh the pain, but for now I just miss my best friend. Please hug your fur babies a little more and cherish every moment.

Some photos of Wallabee:

https://imgur.com/a/DTFtjXU

Submitted October 25, 2019 at 01:15AM by Exoctane https://ift.tt/2pb9WNO