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7:48am

Jin-jin, 1993-2008

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Jin jin

I helped my friend cross the Bridge yesterday. He was 14 and a half. We got him about 2 months before my husband and I got married. The first night home, I insisted that Jin sleep in a box in a separate room from us--- but his howling, for nearly an hour, finally won us over and he slept in our room. When we got married 2 months later, we didn't have anyone to watch the puppy so our "honeymoon" was a very short overnight at a local hotel. Jin came down with AIHA exactly 2 weeks before my first son was born (Jin was 6) and I was sure we were going to lose our "first baby" right as our human family was expanding. I remember being hugely pregnant and sitting on the floor of the vet's office, holding my dog in my lap and praying that he wouldn't die. Miraculously he survived, but he was on prednisone for exactly one year as well as several other meds to bring him into remission. He played with my first human kid, but per doctor's orders he never received further immunizations and was not allowed to be around other dogs-- no grooming salons, pet shops, or kennels. He was with us when our house caught fire, I had a 2-yr. old and was pregnant with my second baby. When we had to stay in a hotel for 3 weeks, he learned that he could prevent me from leaving by howling, so I had to take him with me everywhere I went. He was with me when we were in a rental townhome and I accidentally locked my pregnant self and my 2-yr. old and him out on the balcony.

He was waiting for me when I came home from the hospital with my second child. He was there when we brought home Atlas two years ago. We got Atlas because we thought Jin-jin would be dying soon, but Jin just kept going--- like the Energizer Bunny. We all watched in amazement as the puppy Atlas grew and grew and grew and dwarfed his "big brother." Jin-jin has slowed down a lot but it was so gradual we didn't really notice it. He got cataracts, he went deaf, he started growing huge fatty tumors underneath his armpits, his hindquarters became progressively weaker. He could still walk but stumbled around a bit, had trouble bouncing up and down the two stairs to the backyard. He started spending all his time sleeping and we finally realized that his quality of life was nil-- it was time to let him go.

It took me at least a month to convince my husband it was the right thing to do. And he still questions it. I'm hurting but I know I did the right thing. Never had to do that before, but at least I was there to help my friend at the end.