Tears on the keyboard

Tears on the keyboard

Back at the end of July a funny looking, feisty 13 + year old 35 pound spaniel mix with the name Onyx came to live with Mitch, Nicky, Harley the cats the fish and also me. All 3 of the dogs he came to live with were larger then he was. He could actually walk under Nicky (a German shepherd) and Harley (a shepherd mix) Mitch is about 85 pounds but not that tall.

Onyx held his own with all three it was great to see Nicky and him play tug of war with one of those rope toys, Harley would try to step on him and he run under her Mitch would just lay down with him and relax. They all fit together fantastically.

Onyx soon picked up a new name "Little dog barks a lot" . He was a barker when he wanted attention. He'd just plop his butt down and bark. He was so low to the ground and a little over weight sometimes I couldn't tell when he was sitting.

He also taught me a lot about pride in who you are, who your family is and who your friends are. When we went for a walk his head and tail were straight up (unless he was sniffing) he was proud of himself and his new family and wanted everyone to know that. I remember one specific time in a parking lot just before the holidays it was just Onyx and myself stopping to get something on the way to visit my mother we walked thru that parking lot he seemed to be as tall as any German Shepherd or Great Dane he was so proud he was my dog and I was his man and he wanted the world to know it. The rest of that visit he was everywhere with me never showed any tiredness while he was around the other people, as soon as I put him on the front seat he fell asleep and I had to carry him into the house.

He was a joy to watch playing with his toys, in the snow romping thru the leaves. I was hoping to have him with us for a couple of years, it wasn't to be.

About the first week of April he started getting picky with his food and sleeping a little more and he had developed a small cough. He had been to a vet about 3 weeks before and they found nothing wrong. By the second week he wasn't getting better and seemed to be getting weaker. We tried to make an appointment with that vet but they didn't have one for at least a week so we took him to my old vet. On April 17, 2008 we found he was riddled with cancer, there was nothing we could do. The vet said he could go on steroids and antibiotics but they may only prolong his life without any quality he was going blind and would be in pain the whole time. I heard him bark for the last time that day when he heard my voice. My wife and I held him and kissed him goodbye and didn't leave him or let go of him until he was gone we were the last beings he sniffed and felt in this life which he left about 5:50pm on April 17, 2008.

On April 25, 2008 I went down to the vet to pick up his ashes. Onyx had his first motorcycle ride. His second should be when I die and all the ashes of all my pets and the soil from the graveyard some are buried in are combined with mine and put on the back of a bike and scattered to the wind.

Onyx I'll see you and all my friends who've gone before you and me when I cross the Rainbow Bridge to join you until then remember me because I'll never forget you.