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Part 1:
This was a day we knew was coming since last February, and yet there still is an overwhelming sense of sadness.
We had planned to put down our beloved Benny, who was our baby for over 15 years. He had liver cancer that had spread, he could barely stand anymore, and he stopped eating. We scheduled a vet to come to our house at 11 am today, and spent all of Monday and Tuesday crying over, and with, Benny.
And then, when we woke this morning for the day we dreaded, Benny was gone. He died in his sleep. We are in shock.
Our life revolves around our family, our dogs and, for better or worse, my work. But unlike our family or my work, dogs never give us any aggravation -- only love and loyalty. Benny was one of our five labradoodles; but he truly was one of one. He wasn’t a good boy; he was the best boy -- and we told that to him regularly.
Benny never bit anyone, never attacked one of our other dogs when they attacked him, he was such a gentle boy. One time when he was a puppy, he did jump out of out of the window of a moving car to chase after a pitbull before my wife had to pull over and chase him down. But aside from that, Benny gave us zero problems -- except for his health.
Roughly seven or so years ago, when he first was diagnosed with cancer, doctors removed one of his kidneys. Then last February, as he was running up our backyard steps into our house, he missed a step, hit his leg and could barely walk. Doctors discovered that, not only did Benny tear his ACL, but he also had liver cancer and other masses that had spread to his lungs. On Feb. 23, 2024, his doctor told us Bennyhad two to three months to live. My wife and I were devastated.
I remember the next week calling my dear friend Chris Mortensen because he was one of the only close friends I had who understood what it was like to love and lose animals. I cried to Mort, and listened to him talk about how much our pets mean to us. He did his best to pick me up, and he did briefly -- until I got a call a few days later that we lost Mort, too. My last conversation with Mort was all about Benny; now both are gone.
From the moment we were told that Benny had two to three months to live, I counted each time we passed the 23rd day of a month as another win for Benny. He stacked up wins when they weren’t expected, in July and August and September, until he got to another winter he wasn’t supposed to. There’s a video we posted on our dogs’ Instagram account from Sept. 29, when Benny jumped up and took away our daugther’s pizza, refusing to give it up. His energy and fight for someone fighting such an insidious disease was so impressive. But his decline from that day on, when cancer ravaged his body, was fierce.
Cont’d….
This is really hard to write but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know. We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Bens organs and there was nothing left we could do-we had to let him go. I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on 1. He was smart-loving-gentle-patient-inquisitive-and welcoming to all. Always a big smile and a soft tail wag. He and I could communicate..he and I understood each other and had each others backs. He was with me more than anyone at home and traveling with me for work. Such an easy going companion. Hard day-but he will live within all of us forever. God please bless his majestic soul and thank you for putting him in my life for the last 10 years-a true blessing.
Love you Ben. 🙏🏼