We have a 3 year old black lab mix, which was enough for me. But he was starting to look super bored all the time. So I started entertaining the idea of getting him a friend, but I hadn’t decided yet. Shortly after that time, my brother came into a puppy due to his daughter. He’s not a dog person and was looking to remove it. When I saw him, I immediately fell in love. This puppy was the spitting image of our 3 year old when he was that age. I mean, even the white spots of fur were in the same positions and almost the exact same shapes. I told my brother that I’d take the puppy off his hands and he readily agreed. I loved this dog. He would listen better than my 3 yo. I could have him out in the in-fenced yard without a leash/lead, and he wouldn’t leave the property. The best part was, he would cuddle with me every night! He would lay down between my arm and my body and put his head on my chest as if he was a small child. It was soooo special! I always wanted a dog that would cuddle, and I finally had one!

He started coughing 2 days after I got him. I took him to the vet to get a first patient appointment that same day. I told them about the coughing and they said that his breathing was normal, his lungs sounded fine and to keep an eye on it. About 2 weeks later, we brought him back in because the coughing was going worse. They again said that his lungs were clear and discussed doing an x-ray if things didn’t get any better. About 2.5 weeks later, I brought him in for his next round of shots and I let them know that his coughing was still there and now semi-frequent. They suggested to put him on a bland diet. That seemed like it was lessening the cough frequency, but not by much. 1.5 weeks later, we brought him in because the coughing was getting worse. They listened to his lungs and said they still sounded fine but diagnosed him with Kennel cough. Not a big deal, I’ve had pets with it before. They prescribed meds and he immediately started taking them as prescribed. The Dr. told us they would take 5-7 days to show signs of working. When we asked to do the x-ray, they told us that his lungs sounded fine and they didn’t believe it to be necessary. 5 days later, on a Saturday (the vet is closed), he was coughing pretty badly every time he laid down while he wasn’t inclined. I decided I was going to take him in Monday morning(the next time the vet was open). Unfortunately, that night his lungs filled up with fluid so quickly, that I watched him, standing up and staring at my other dog, FALL over and gag for about 3 seconds. He was gone. I rushed him to a Vet ER where they tried CPR for 10 minutes, to no avail. We were in shock!

I feel like my puppy was TAKEN from me. You’re supposed to have so many years with a pet. And normally you’d have a bit of time to start coming to terms that it might be happening soon. But to get only 2 months… I just don’t understand. My family is devastated by this loss. This is my 12yo son’s first true encounter with death and it’s hitting him hard. Even my 3yo dog seems to be depressed without him here.

His passing was 2 weeks ago. A couple nights ago, I was laying down on the couch relaxing, in the spot that me and my puppy would cuddle. I felt a slight pressure in a small spot on my shoulder. About an inch wide. Then, I felt that same slight pressure on my entire upper arm on the side between my arm and my body. I could swear by puppy had just walked on my shoulder to lay down and cuddle with me… I felt like I got to cuddle with my buddy one last time. This really helped me get a little bit of closure. We’re still all hurting, and we will never forget our little Hades. RIP my pup. We will see you again one day.