About fourteen years ago, a very small bundle of fur, with gigantic ears struggled into the shade beneath the awning at Moab Cyclery where Mary was working. Unable to deny the big brown eyes that looked up at her, she took him home and promised her parents that he would be her dog; that she would take care of him. Little did she know that he would be the one to take care of her, and later myself.
About a month ago, Gus stopped eating normally. He had developed Pancreatitus. After a few days in the hospital he came home to us ready to eat and back to being Gus. He would chase his little "sis" Dinka, and we resumed bike riding. All things looked like we had passed the hard times. But a few days ago, he again started to have trouble eating. Pancreatitus is incredibly painful, as it swells inside the abdomen. This time you could visibly see his little belly pushing out. A visit to the Vet last night confirmed our worst fears. He was in a LOT of pain. He would not get better this time.
So we could take him home and have some time to say our farewells, the Vet gave him some meds to help with the pain. It was a hard night for him and us. He knew there was something causing his parents to be very up-set. His main worry was for us, he didn't focus on his pain, only us. He was worried he wasn't doing his "job."
This morning we took some more photo's, let him eat whatever he wanted, and tried not to mope around bursting into tears every few minutes. Gus was not looking good, and we knew why. It was us, his peeps were not in a good way and it was stressing him out. I asked my-self what Gus would want to do on his last day, and it hit me...We had to go for a bike ride.
So we did. At 14 years old, with his pancreas pushing on all his vital organs, our boy dog ran...and he loved it! We rode up Gunnector, hiked a bit, and back down...my little "mob"...Dinka, Mom, Gus and Dad...the family.
Gus peacefully slipped off to sleep in our arms today around noon. Thus far, topping the list as the hardest moment of our lives.
It's been said that a dog is the only animal that loves its master more than it loves itself. There is no finer example of selflessness than Gustifson H Blakfur. If more humans were like dogs, the world would be a much finer place indeed.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Gus and Us. It's hilarious...classic Gus...always having his butt pointed at the camera. He shall be sorely missed.
To our friends, I want to do some future blog posts about the adventures of Gustifson H Blakfur. Send us an email with your favorite Gus story, however simple or short it might be. There are a lot of stories that haven't yet been told.
