Niko

Niko was my Mom's dog. We put her down this morning. She just turned 13 years old last month. She was an interesting dog. I didn't really understand her until I took her to the pet communicator last year.

At that session, we learned that she was deaf in one ear. I think she grew to be completely deaf since then. She could hear a whistle and feel the vibrations when someone banged on a door or a nearby object. I also found out why on earth she always had to get one lick in, even if it was the tip of my pinky finger. Oh that annoyed me so much, until I learned why - she was just checking in, to see how we were doing, to let us know she missed us the whole day, so the pet communicator told us. Now I can't remember the last time she did that.

She was several months younger than Frankie, and she too had really bad arthritis in her hips. The difference between her and Frankie is that she never complained about her hips. She would always try to get up on her own, and she always managed to do so. Frankie would have a hard time getting up and would start whining for help. Niko never asked for assistance. She was a pretty low-key, low-maintenance of sorts type of dog. On the other hand, she was a bit of a 'bull in an antique shop' type of dog too - when she was younger, she'd bowl you or whatever over whenever she came into the house.

Sometimes I think it would be best if your beloved pet passed in its sleep. But I also think we need to be able to say goodbye and send them off, just like we do for our friends and family if we have the opportunity to do so. We sent her on her way, me and my mom. As the vet gave her the second shot, we petted her and told her we loved her, that she was a good dog, that we would miss her, and the last thing I said to her was 'guard the house'. She always did. Oh, the life of a dog.....