COHouse: Goodbye, Chapman

Once a dog has entwined himself round your heart
he is not only yours for life, but you are his.
When he is gone, his place is forever sacred.
Other dogs are just as precious
but they all have their allotted spot in your
affections kept for them or their memory.
A heaven without one's dogs
would not be the heaven we hoped for.
A dog is always man's best friend.
Written By: anonymous

Our little guy died a couple weeks ago. His appetite was fading and he was eating less and less, but he still was fairly active with us. On his last day he just couldn't wake up fully and arouse, and we had to take him in.
He sure was a trooper. When we first took him home, taking him in from a Brittany rescue, he had a limp and was taking some arthritis medication. That unfortunately just got worse and he needed a hip surgery half a year later. But it made a world of difference. He was relieved from what must have been a lot of pain, and got very active again. Like almost all dogs, he loved walks with us, our trips to the mountains where he ran all over and explored, the lot by the new house where he ran all over and explored, and especially the ride back and forth. He would share the window with Max, stick his head out and let his tongue flap. Sometimes the side of my vehicle was covered with slobber! He didn't like kids though, and almost got us in trouble a couple times by taking some "nibbles".
2 years ago he went blind and had a metabolic/hormonal disorder that slowed him down quite a lot. He adapted well, and learned his way around the yard and house. It was funny how well he could find his way quickly to the deck and door when he was called to eat.

He still loved to go for rides, and even though he was blind and sometimes even though he was out back in the yard, he knew when we were getting ready to go somewhere and wanted to go along. Unbelievably, if it was a weekend and I was home, both dogs knew to anticipate a trip to the new lot. Although Chapman couldn't run free, he seemed to liven up when guided on the leash and didn't want to stop. We had to settle him down and put him in back of the SUV just so he wouldn't wear himself out completely.
Chapman gave us many fine memories of his joy and companionship. Lori was very devoted to him, and returned the favor with incredible care and devotion, and Chapman continued to return the favor until the end. We miss him.