All Dogs go to Heaven

We all dread that phone call. The call when someone is sick, dying, injured. We all know that eventually it has to come, but we don't know when. Today I got that phone call. More like that text message. I came home from church, checked my phone... and my heart sank.

My dog was hurt, and was in a lot of pain. The vet said there wasn't many options, and the only way to not be in pain, was to put him to sleep. Dusty, my puppy (I call him a puppy, but he's actually more like a grandpa) was running around playing yesterday, and hurt his leg. They took him to the vet, and they found a tumor in his leg that had weakened the bone, causing a fracture. They then found that the tumor had spread to his lungs. They gave him a shot so that he would be a little out of it while my family took him home to discuss what to do. Although the vet said, there was nothing that could be done, and he would be in pain until he passes on his own.

Dusty wasn't just a house pet. It sounds cliche, but true in every way. We got Dusty when I was in the 8th grade. He was an early Christmas present for us. He instantly became a member of the family. Since then he became one of my best friends. He was loyal, submissive, and a great companion. I moved across town, away from my friends and into a new school district before my Freshman year of high school. It was a hard adjustment since I have never had to be the new kid before, and making friends was hard... Dusty was always there for me. When he heard the bus pull up outside my house, he would be standing on the back of the couch watching out the window, tail wagging, with his big brown eyes all lit up. I'd walk in the door and he would be right there jumping up on my lap, licking my face.

He could tell when I was sad. I remember sitting on the floor in my room, reading a history book, and he came and sniffed my leg with his cold wet nose, and licked my hand... and looked at me with his ears perked. I couldn't help but smile. One day I stayed home from school because I got my braces tightened, and I was in a lot of pain. I was purched out on the couch watching the Disney Channel, and he came and layed on the couch with me all day. When I got up to go to the kitchen, he followed me. When I went to the bathroom or into my bedroom, he waited for me in the hall. It's like he was making sure I was okay at all times.

He was my best, and only, friend for a good portion of my teen years. He listened to me when I would talk to him, of course about nothing important, but he sat and perked his ears, and pretended to listen. Sometimes I thought he was better at being a friend, than being a dog. He was always so happy to see me when I would come home from school, and when I left, he watched out the window until I was out of sight. No matter how often he got into our Easter candy, and how mad we got at him, he would never betray us. He still loved us. He was the main focus of my pictures in Photography I, and I wish I could find those pictures... He was patient with me when I wanted to dress him up. I put a bow around his neck, and then pained his toe nails... He didn't like the bow much, the nail polish lasted a good day and half. :) He was so friendly. He loved it when other people would come over. He shed like crazy, and he picked out his favorite pieces of his dog food and saved them for last. He barked at every car that pulled up to the house, and chased the squirrels around the yard. He tried to eat bee's until one time he got stung on the nose...

I watched his pretty brown fur turn gray as the years went by. I guess it had to happen sometime, right? Maybe it was from those times when he would sun bathe with me during the summers.

I left for college eventually, and to be honest, I missed him more than I missed anyone else. When I came home for holidays, he followed me around the whole time. He sat on the couch with me, and only begged for my food, no one else's. To this day, he is still one of my best friends. I will never forget that one time when he jumped on the counter and ate 4 raw steaks. We had to leave him outside for a while... but he recovered and my mom forgave him.

Unfortunately, I guess it had to come to an end. I wish I had more pictures, and I'm sure I do someplace in a box that has to be unpacked... but this is him about an hour before they put him to sleep today.

RIP Dusty!
I'll see you again someday!

My thoughts on pedestrians

The other day, I was coming home from work. I was turning left on to 200 East off of Center Street. There's a funky bunch one way street that goes up to the temple that connects with 200 E, but it's at an angle, it's weird. Anyways, so there's on coming traffic so I'm at the top of the hill waiting for the cars to pass so I can turn. While I'm waiting I see this guy (I'm gonna name him douche bag, excuse my french) running, not jogging... but running... a full sprint, down this weird diagonal street headed in my general direction. I make eye contact with him, and I naturally just assume he's going to cross the road so I make no immediate attempts to turn. The guy stops. There is also not any on coming traffic at this point, so it's okay for me to turn. Apparently not! The guy starts sprinting again after I had started to turn. There are cars turning right on to Center Street because he had stopped... assuming the same thing I did, and since he had stopped we all thought he was waiting till the traffic was gone... which make sense, I wouldn't expect anyone to wait for me, I'd just wait for them.
So like I said, the stupid guy starts running again. I stop, but I'm now in the wrong lane, eventually going to block traffic if cars start coming from the other direction. The guy, flips me off with both hands... and runs around to the back of my car and bangs on the hood of my trunk.
Alright.
I'm now completely ticked off. I turn around to see what on earth just hit my car (secretly hoping it was him and that he had died for being dumb)and I see him run in front of another car, and hear them honking at him. GDFJsio cfjwoejf oq!!!!! I just want to go find that guy, and run him over for real this time! It's one thing to flip me off, especially if it were an honest mistake on my part, but since it wasn't, don't touch my car.

So, a note to all of you, please don't be stupid when you go running.