|
Date: October 14, 2010
I am very sad to report that my handsome Nick passed away at home on
9/21/10. He didn't have the best start in life, but I hope the
nearly eight years that he had with me made up for it. Nick saw me
through some very rough times, and as I like to joke, I will never find a
more loyal man in my life! Even though his last year was spent
battling melanoma, lung cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and kidney
disease - he never stopped guarding his mommy. We estimate he was
around 13 years old, and he amazed his team of doctors by his strength and
resilience in outliving all projections given for him. Everyone who
met Nick knew he was a very special dog.
Nick looked like the perfect show dog, which was far from the natural
eared brindle we were originally looking for. Dawn and Gail
convinced my ex-husband and me to go meet him, along with a younger dog we
were interested in at the time. The younger dog was immediately
aggressive with our puppy, Inga. By contract, Nick came out of his
kennel, took one look at us, and started walking to the car like he was
going home. He chose us, and I am so glad he did. He wouldn't
have fit into a lot of homes, but he was perfect for our situation and he
turned into the perfect gentleman.
I often hear rescue applicants tell me that they want a young dog
because boxers don't live that long. Well, Nick had eight wonderful
years with me and lived well beyond boxer life expectancy. At the
same time, my family has had boxers from breeders pass away at age 4 and
6. There are no guarantees with any dog, purebred from a breeder or
a rescue. It is about quality of life, and so many older dogs need
and deserve that chance to live out their lives in a happy home.
Please think of Nick as an example, and give an older dog a chance.
You won't regret it!
Danielle Duprey |
|
