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November 22, 2008

Goodbye Matchbox

I didn't expect it to be so fast.

Last month Matchbox was my normal (allbiet odd), aging pup following me around the house. But in a few weeks his health took a turn for the worse. He lost 10 pounds, he couldn't jump on the bed, he started refusing to eat - something so alien to his nature I was shocked when Frinklin told me he had to convince Matches to finish his breakfast.

On Tuesday night he went blind. I found him trapped in more than one corner, unable to find his way back to his dog bed. Frinklin and I listened constantly for the clicking of his toenails in the middle of the night, the signal that he had lost his way while trying to get a drink of water. My husband carried his dog up and down the stairs to go out.

I found the tumors on Thursday. He had been having trouble breathing and as I felt around his neck I knew why. Several lumps had formed on his throat and were blocking his windpipe. Frinklin called the vet.

I left work early in order to be at his appointment at 4. My mother-in-law saw him off. Matchbox rode in the backseat. With his vision gone he could no longer see the moving images that normally scared him onto the floor. I told the receptionist that he didn't need to be weighed.

We sat together on the floor on a Hello Kitty blanket. Stubborn to the end, Matchbox would only lie half-way on the blanket, but rested his head alternately in my and Frinklin's hands. An hour passed while the tears flowed. The moment came.

Jeffrey misses you. He's been quiet all day. Just like the house. Frinklin swears he heard you barking when he came home this afternoon. I keep looking for you around corners.

You were our first dog. The one we took on our early dates at the dog park when Frinklin and I had just met. I'll never forget the first time you jumped in my lap, trusting that I would protect you from the big, bad pug headed your way. Or that certain way you liked your ears scratched. Or how you would sneak onto the bed in the middle of the night. Or even how you would wake us up at 4 AM to be fed.

Thanks for being such a great dog.

Goodbye Matchbox.

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