ARE YOU AWAKE? PLUS VIRGIL... MY FRIEND!!!!!!!
Tuesday April 9, 2013 3:26 am, 7:00 pmAbout an hour ago, if I were a Native American I would have been singing Virgil's death song. However, as I type this I hear him, rather noisily, slurping water in the kitchen from his water dish.
I had been asleep for a couple of hours when Deb awoke me to say she thought Virgil was passing. Without going into detail as soon as I saw him I thought the same thing. Over the course of the next half hour as we petted, talked to and loved on him I could see his tongue working in his mouth so I knew he was thirsty. He was on his side and didn't appear that he could stand so I got him an ice chip and let him lick on that. I had gone back in the kitchen and got a bowl and filled it with ice chips and water and came back in and hand fed him a few more chips and that seemed to arouse him, and he struggled onto his feet :)
As I type this and for any person reading I want everyone to know something. Although I fervently do not want to lose him... I am prepared to call Dr. Moore and get him to our house to assist Virgil when I know for certain he has given up on life. The only way I know that is to try and follow the advice he gave me when he said a dog will let you know when it is time. (He said they will quit eating and drinking and you will know it's time.)
After I had taken him out back to make his toilet I watched him obediently stand beside Stella to take his turn scarfing down chicken which was fixed for him late last night. Although (as with all of us really) it could be any time... apparently it isn't quite yet.
As I was thinking about American Indians and some of their beliefs about death and dying, I thought I would include a Pueblo prayer for my blog this morning. Although this has nothing really about dogs in it, I thought it had some really good words about life and living.
Hold onto what is good,
Even if it's a handful of earth.
Hold onto what you believe,
Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.
Hold onto what you must do,
Even if it's a long way from here.
Hold onto your life,
Even if it's easier to let go.
Hold onto my hand,
Even if someday I'll be gone away from you.
(Sometime later today I will add my video to this blog.)
Virgil no longer is suffering. This will be my last blog for awhile. I'm not trying to set a date or a time for I would have no way of knowing. The only thing I feel confident about is that the next time I do write I will tell why this blog ever came into existence in the first place, and the very important role that my friend Virgil played in this happening. I have loved him since he was a little puppy and I will continue to love him until the day it is my turn to die also.
This video I recorded of Virgil earlier today when I left work during lunch to come home and see how he was.
posted by Robin Johnson @ 3:26 AM
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