Tonight our older dog Pal died. I was in my office writing, and as usual, Pal and Lola were in here with me. It’d been a good day for the dogs, a few trips outside, some barking at dogs and people passing by the window. Breakfast and dinner, plus a few treats.
I noticed Pal laying on the floor off my left shoulder. Suddenly I heard claws against the carpet along with dog groaning, and I thought the cat had come in to tease Pal. Red likes to do that from time to time. Or maybe Lola had done something to annoy him.
When I looked around, Pal was on his side, having slid across the floor a few feet. He was stiff, his legs vibrating and I thought, “Oh no, he’s having a seizure.”
I knelt next to him, tried to comfort him, smoothed my hands down his back. I noticed a spot of pee. We’ve put down two dogs before and I noticed the urinating as not a good sign. Then he cried out, howled as if in pain. “Oh, Pal, buddy, what’s wrong. What can I do?”
I was if he was trying to breathe for a few second, then he relaxed and I thought the seizure was over. “Okay, Pal, you all right.” I went to cradle him but he was gone. His eyes were glassy, staring straight ahead.
I grabbed the phone to call Tony. For a moment, he shuttered and I thought he was coming around. But it was the final vibrations of his body stopping.