Thursday, October 2, 2014

One Great Dog

He was loading up the truck on a bright and sunny day. He could hardly manage to control his excitement, after all it was his birthday, and he was going to the Royals game. As they began to back out of the driveway, they felt a bump and heard a load yelp. He hurried out of the truck only to realize that his biggest fear was true. His dog had been hit.

He could tell by the way his dog looked that at the very least the leg was broken. The leg was limp as the dog attempted to walk across the ground. They hurried and lifted the dog into the backseat of the truck, trying not to cause the dog anymore pain. Then they headed for the vet. The whole way there he held his dog. He was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

They finally arrived at the vet. They hauled their dog inside to a little room where they sat their dog on the table. The vet began to examine their dog, as him, his fiancé and parents waited patiently. Once the vet finished, she said there was a dislocated hip and possibly some internal bleeding. The sound of those words made tears build up in his eyes. As they began discussing options, it grew even more difficult. Because their dog was 13-years-old there was no chance for surgery. If they took him home, there was no chance of him recovering. It was a hard decision, but they had to put their dog to sleep.

The vet left the room, allowing the family to say their final goodbyes. Everyone began sobbing as their faithful dog lay on the table, breathing heavily. He leaned down and put his head by his dogs and laid there with him, not wanting to leave. He knew he was losing much more than just a dog. He was also losing a brother and a best friend.

The vet came back and began to put the dog to sleep. He stayed in the room with his dog. He wasn’t going to leave until the very last breath. As the vet injected the needle, the dog’s breathing slowed, and the eyes slowly shut. Then his beautiful dog breathed its last breath.

They went home sad, knowing they had lost a large part of their lives. However, they knew their dog had lived a long and happy life they would never forget. Once they arrived home he went into the garage and hung up the dog’s collar. He grabbed a black marker and below the collar wrote:

“Angus 2001-2014”

“One Great Dog”

12 comments:

  1. That was a very sad story. It was well written because if definitely had me tearing up. So sorry to hear that this awful thing happened on someones birthday.

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  2. It is a really sad story. If it is me, I could not face that result. Great writing!

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  3. All stories about animals being hurt make me cry and this one was no exception. Well written, in the sentence "They hauled their dog inside to a little room " maybe consider a word change for 'hauled' since the dog was in pain and when I think 'hauled' I think of hauling a sack of potatoes not a doggy. Good story though, and thanks for making me cry in the library.

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  4. Oh my gosh! This story is so sad! I've experienced a situation like this myself and I can definitely relate to those emotions.

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  5. Ugh.. Why must you do this to me! What a horrible turnout to a beautiful birthday. This was very well written, and very tragic. My heart strings were continuously pulled. I agree with Farai about the "hauling", it needed to be more sensitive. There were a few places where I would change some words to make them more soft. But other than that, this was well written, and I feel for you! Sorry for your loss.

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  6. Tyler, this was very well written and definitely pulled on my heart strings. Such a sad story. The only suggestion I have would be to make sure your headline includes a verb!

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  7. This story was so sad! Dogs should get to live forever. You did a great job describing this moment!

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  8. Ugh this was so hard to read! I have four fur-babies and I can't imagine losing one of them. Great story it was very touching and I'm sorry for your loss.

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  9. I agree with everyone else. Very sad story! But you did a great job describing the moment. I like the headline, but I agree that it needs a verb.

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  10. This just pulls at your heartstrings. It's always hard to have to let go of someone who's family like that.

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  11. I would write out veterinarian then refer to it as the vet. I'm not sure but that seems like something AP style would have a rule against. Great work otherwise.

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  12. That story got sad quick. The emotion was strong in this one.

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