A
warm, sunny day. A nice walk, a lovely meal on a blue
patterned sheet, surrounded by his closest family, that is how my best friend died.
For 12
years, slightly more than a decade, BooBoo walked with me, sometimes twice,
sometimes thrice a day. We met fellow dog lovers, won
over a few non-dog lovers, and played a lot. I dedicated songs to
him, wrote stories about
him, and sang his praises to anyone who would stay
and listen long enough.
He
had a wonderful personality. He knew his toys by name, he knew exactly what he
wanted to do and how to best communicate it. He lived his life on his own
terms. He ate when he wanted, played when he wanted, and stayed alone when he
wanted. You had to learn the tricks to make him want to do something that you
thought was best for him. For example, sometimes a “Come, Boo-Boo,” would not
make him want to walk with me. However, “Bye Bye, Boo-Boo” would make
him rush. He didn’t want to be left out of any adventure.
The
illness came quickly. The best medical technology in the world
and the best doctors in the world couldn't improve
his quality of life. Yes, it slowed down the moment of separation by replacing organic life functions with medication. But what a life? Of having food, the life force, poison him slowly, feeling weak and hungry, but feeling
even worse after eating. Not being able to take the stairs, not being able to sit or walk
or run.
We tried our best to keep him going, but he didn’t want to stay any more. Sometimes, it is time to let go.
A
warm, sunny day. A nice walk, a lovely meal on a blue
patterned sheet, surrounded by his closest family, that is how my best friend died. I couldn’t quite
believe it still when the doctor said he was gone. There was no difference, it
was just like he had gone to sleep; no sharp transition between life and death;
he looked at peace. I still kept hoping that life was like the magical world of
Harry Potter, and that Boo would just get up and say that the injection had
only killed the disease and not him. That didn’t happen. I wished him goodbye
in the language he knows best – “Bye-Bye, Boo-Boo”. And this time, he didn’t come
with me.
