Goodbye

I got Cider as a puppy from the humane society almost fourteen years ago. I was just starting my junior year of college and my landlady (a dog lover herself) had given me permission to get a puppy. Although we'd always had family dogs when I was growing up, I had wanted my very own dog for almost as long as I could remember. I remember driving out to the humane society one crisp fall day and hoping I'd be able to find just the sort of dog I wanted. They had sheltie mixes (too small and yappy), lab mixes (nope), and some small breed puppies. But, in one of the cages were a bunch of black and tan puppies that were labeled as shepherd/lab mixes (I later learned that they pretty much label any black and tan dog as a shepherd/lab mix -- we think she was a shepherd/collie mix).

The human society employee told me that 12 puppies had been brought in and each puppy had been named after one of the Chinese zodiac signs. All of the puppies had short black fur and looked pretty lab-ish ... except one. There was one little puppy with longer black and tan fur and the funniest fuzzy ears. I knew that was the puppy I wanted. It was a little female puppy whose Chinese zodiac name was Ram. The puppies had been born in a shed and had little human contact, so she was a shy, withdrawn little thing. I had my interview with the shelter "puppy matcher," filled out my paperwork, and arranged to come back the next day to pick up my dog. I immediately ran to the nearest pet store and bought all the necessary puppy gear.

When I went back to get her the next day, a man was standing outside the cage. He was planning to adopt one of the other puppies and wanted to know which one I'd chosen. I pointed her out and his reply was, "Oh, the funny looking one!" I collected my puppy, drove her home to my apartment, and became a dog owner. It took me a couple of days to settle on a name for her -- most of the ones that I had picked out beforehand didn't seem to fit her (for example, she didn't seem like a "Maude" or a "Mabel" to me). I'd been to visit a cider mill a few days before my visit to the humane society and the perfect name for my puppy suddenly struck me -- Cider.

Not being used to people, it took her a week or so to warm up to being a pet and an inside dog. The first couple of days at home, she liked to hide on the bottom shelf of a built-in bookcase that was mostly hidden by the end of a couch. I had a dog crate and at night she slept in the crate at the foot of my bed. Just like a baby, she had to learn to sleep in her own bed and learn to sleep through the night. She quickly warmed up to her new life and turned into the naughtiest little puppy. She'd jump up and nip at my jeans when I took her for walks, she got into everything, and she was super bitey when we played. She loved to go outside and when she was very small she'd "wrestle" with a patch of ornamental grass that was in the back yard. She also really liked to chew on sticks, which I only let her do outside (since she chewed them into a million pieces and it made a horrible mess). The little stinker quickly learned how to hide small sticks in her mouth and sneak them back into the house. It appears that she wasn't a Hemingway fan, because the only book she ever ripped up in her life was a copy of "The Sun Also Rises." When she was about five months old I took her with me to visit my boyfriend's parents house. Unbeknownst to us, she snuck into their formal living room and got into their nativity scene (which, of course, was a family heirloom). We caught her quickly, but were horrified to discover that she had scattered all the figures, knocked over the manger, and EATEN baby Jesus.

Cider was a smart, reserved, and gentle dog. She learned quickly and was easy to train -- she was pretty much housebroken by the time she was four months old and 100% reliable by the time she was six months old. I took her to a number of obedience classes, which we both really enjoyed. We worked hard to train her to be reliable off leash and she loved a good romp in the woods and fields. She also LOVED playing with other dogs when she was young and I used to take her to one of the university practice fields every evening, where a bunch of local college students had an unofficial doggy play group. Cider would have made a great mother dog -- she had that way about her. At the dog park we'd send her out to round up the other dogs when they got too far away.

She wasn't a "gooey" dog -- she'd never jump up all over you and lick you and act like a goof. But she loved hanging out with her people and no matter where you were in the house, Cider would always be nearby. She was a very neat and ladylike dog -- she wouldn't step in puddles because she hated to get her paws wet. She used to love to cram herself under my desk and sleep on my feet. She only ever got out of the house twice and both times (after we ran frantically around the neighborhood to look for her) we found her in the neighbor's yard, just putzing around. She was a total food hound and was always (politely) looking for a free handout. She was always a such a gentle dog -- she was good with kids and kittens and puppies (about the only thing she would hurt was a fly, which she liked to chase around the house). She wouldn't even chase the rabbits in our back yard.

Cider stuck with me through thick and thin -- seven moves across hundreds of miles (and back again), five jobs, two failed relationships, two pregnancies, two babies, and more petty problems than I can remember. She was always there -- reliable and comforting and faithful. After sharing 14 years with her, she was a fixture in my life.

But, after a long, happy, healthy 14 years, Cider's body was worn out. In addition to the arthritis she'd had for years, Cider had developed some liver problems and the signs of some sort of degenerative spinal problem and was having an increasingly hard time getting around. These last two weeks she really went downhill -- the vets weren't sure what the exact problem was, but the different medications we'd tried weren't able to slow her decline much. Yesterday she was pretty much unable to stand or walk on her own and we had to carry her outside for potty breaks. We were no longer able to keep her comfortable and made the decision to have her put to sleep today.

Cider a lot of extra loving and pets (and treats) today. I stopped by McDonalds on the way home from work to get a couple of cheeseburgers. Since most of her appetite was still intact, Cider really enjoyed her cheeseburger dinner. Max, Molly, and I then took turns feeding her a ton of dog biscuits. We said our goodbyes and gave our kisses before the vet arrived at our house. Cider went easily and peacefully and her last moments were spent in her very own house, surrounded by the people she loves.

She was my best dog and she will be sorely missed. We were lucky that we found each other - Cider was exactly the sort of dog I always wished I could have. I can only hope that I was exactly the sort of owner that she deserved. I'll always remember her as she was during some of her happiest moments -- racing through the meadows with wet, dirty fur and a big, doggy smile on her face. Goodbye, Cider My Cider -- I'll see you on the Rainbow Bridge.