I want to share this incredible story of love and loss. I recently suffered the loss of not only one, but two pets within two days.

Although my family extends beyond the trio of Dewey. Brandy, and myself, the three of us were a pack. We were toqether 24/7, 7 days a week.

Dewey was just 10 years old when he was diaqnosed with lung cancer. I asked my veterinarian Dr. Huber how many months he thouqht Dewey had left. He said he thouqht it would be more like weeks.

Dewey only survived a month.

I thank God that I had the opportunity to have this additional quality time with him. Brandy just continued to be her normal self, not really understandinq what was about to happen.

Well, I started to treat the three of us to a lot of steak – piece for Dewey, one for Brandy and then one for myself until it was qone, and the next day, I would do the same.

Dewey attended his last pet event on Sunday, May 6 – Gettel Toyota’s Doq Day Afternoon. At events, he would lie on the table all day and let people pet him.

He did his last pet therapy session with Jim, a man who also was sufferinq from cancer. I called to tell Edna, Jim’s wife, that I was cominq over with Dewey. She said Jim hadn’t awakened for 24 hours, was unable to open his eyes and his movement was limited. I said that I needed to do this not only for Dewey and Jim, but for myself. I brought Dewey in, told Jim that Dewey also had cancer and that I wanted him to do his last pet therapy with him. Jim was so happy and started to pet Dewey with so much love and pleasure. Jim amazinqly opened his eyes and told me that if he had to do it over aqain, that he would not have changed a thinq in his life. We all cried, and I left satisfied that Dewey once aqain had made someone happy. Jim died a week before Dewey.

It was a rough weekend for Dewey, with labored breathing and other issues associated with lung cancer. Brandy could feel that something was wrong, and I knew that I would have to make that dreaded decision. Dewey looked up at me with a look of desperation, because he could no longer do for me what he once did. The look was a cry of help, as if he was asking me, “What is happening?” I told Dewey that he was dying and that I would always love and miss him. I also told him that I couldn’t allow him to suffer because of my selfishness. I made the decision to put him down and give him eternal life.

I called Jeff and he was a mess. Mike and Jennifer, who work with us at K9 Korral, supported us in getting ready. I laid out my favorite quilt on the grass. It was made by my mother, and I had asked her to give it to me before she moved from Florida just three days prior to our preparations. I spread it out with the four of us all saying goodbye to Dewey. I told Dewey it was time as he licked my face and he weakly followed me.

I can’t describe the loss that I feel for my good friend, Dewey.

The next day I loaded up Brandy for work, just as I always had done in the past. Dewey always followed Brandy looked around for Dewey, and when she saw that he was not there, she let out an agonizing howl. She went to work with me, but she was not herself and would not eat. It was not in her character to leave any remaining food on her plate. I went on an appointment. When I returned she was just staring out the window in a daze. When she got up, she lost her footing. I picked her up to take her onto the grass, and she let out a long, agonizing cry and basically died in my arms.

Her x-ray was clean. for whatever medical reason my vet gave me as to why she may have passed, I knew that she died of a broken heart.

This was a true love story.

Brandy lost Dewey – I lost them both.

It is sometimes hard to live life on life’s terms. The day that I found out that Dewey had cancer, I also received a call from Iris at Satchel’s Last Resort Sanctuary. She told me that there was a puppy named Mickey at Sarasota County Animal Services that had been the victim of an unfortunate set of circumstances and needed to be placed in a foster home immediately. At the time, we already had seven rescues at K9 Korral and did not need another. But, we were told, if a rescue group did not take Mickey from Animal Services, his fate – and his future – was uncertain.

We decided that the K9 Korral would foster the dog, and Satchel’s would be the animal group responsible for finding Mickey a forever home.

I asked Mike, a K9 Korral volunteer, to pick Mickey up from Animal Services. Mickey did not like Mike or anyone else at that particular time. However, when Mickey saw me, he instantly ran to me and cried for me when I left. I kept my distance from Mickey so I would not fall for him. I knew Dewey was dying, but I could never have a new puppy with Brandy – she was nearly 15 years old!

Well, I guess God works in very mysterious ways, and I am learning to accept the fact that Mickey has picked his new “Dad.”

In closing. what I have to say is this: Go hug your dog RIGHT NOW! Appreciate the time you have left with them; fry them up a steak, and enjoy it together.