Pepper Was A Good Dog

     He may not have been the best dog. He bit our friend Roger once. Sorry Roger. He wasn't on his thyroid medicine yet and was a little ill-tempered.

he was a good dog. He liked it when I said so. “You're a GOOD DOG Pepper,” in that voice that people use only for dogs, you know that low, gravely, exaggerated way that they seem to respond to. He would wag his tail and almost smile when he was praised. He also liked it when I would scratch his ears. He would lean in so hard to get as much out of those ear scratches as possible.

     Pepper came to be a part of our family in 2001 when we met him at the Humane Society Animal shelter. We knew he was supposed to be our dog. We took him home, did all the necessary things with the vet and he became a part of our family. The vet said he was probably about five years old back then. So in 2011 he was an old dog, but a good dog.

     In his younger years the kids would attach his leash to their tricycle one would ride while the other would call to Pepper down the driveway and he would run giving the rider a wonderful ride. Over and over they would do this. When Pepper was tired he just stopped and the kids would do something else.

By the time we moved to Ludington this summer, Pepper had slowed down considerably.

He slept a lot. Once and a while he would get a burst of energy and chase the family cat or play with our other dog Maggie, but mostly he just slept. He still appreciated a good ear scratching though. Then on Monday the 21^st of November we noticed that he was growing weak, he couldn't keep food down and we saw what we thought was blood in his urine. On the morning of the 22^nd Diane took him into the vet. She she called me from and said there was nothing to do for him. He was losing blood, his body temperature was well below normal, he was dying. We made the decision to have the vet administer a drug that would stop his heart so that the end would come quickly so that he wouldn't have to suffer a long death.

  I have always said, quite callously I have to admit, that the reason for pets is to teach children about death. When the call came from my wife from the vets office I thought that I could detach myself from the situation. I told her I didn't need to be there, but just as soon as I hung up the phone I knew I needed to be there. I raced out of the church parking lot, phone in hand, calling and calling wanting to say that I would be there. I wanted them to wait for me. I wanted to be there for Diane and for Pepper.

     I got there and they were prepping him. They brought him into the exam room with a port in his front leg for the injection. I gave Pepper an ear scratching. I thought he might like that. He didn't have the strength to resist so is head shook to the rhythm of my scratches. The Doc said I am going to administer the “treatment” now. I told him to go ahead. I got down so my face was level with his and I told him over and over, “you are a good dog Pepper. You're a good boy.” He likes that you know. And as the solution entered his veins, Pepper slowly put his head down and closed his eyes. The veterinary assistant listened with a stethoscope and said that it was over.

     A sound came form deep inside of me, from the very depths of my soul. It was a wail of sadness that was completely involuntary. To teach children about death?! I apparently had a thing or two to learn. Animals are a part of God's beloved creation. Pets are those animals that we have been entrusted with to care for, nurture and love. Pepper was more than just a creature that shared the same living space that I did. He was a part of my life. The life that God intended for me. I no longer take that as lightly as I did before. The Spirit of God pulses through all of that is. Yes there is a special place in the created order for humanity but that doesn't mean that that the rest of creation is not special and precious as well.

     The kids had a half-day of school that day. When they got home we told them what happened. I had made arrangements with a friend to bury Pepper at his farm. So we all went to that place, out in a pasture where horses are kept. There is a nice tree there. My son and I dug the hole. We put Peppers favorite pillow, the one he slept on in the bottom. Then we lowered his towel wrapped body into the hole, thanked God for bringing Pepper into our lives then filled the hole in. There were a lot of question about what happens next. What will happen to his body? Is there heaven for dogs? What will happen to me? Yes there were lessons learned through this experience for my children and for me as well. It is a sad and painful experience that we are going through right now, but I come away from it with a greater appreciation for the good things inn life.

   Pepper was born circa 1996 and lived to November 22, 2001. For me he was part of the abundant life that god promised to all of his children. Thank you God, for Pepper. He was a good dog.