Coco El Loco

My dog Coco was put to sleep near the afternoon today. He didn't want to walk or eat ice cream or his treat for hip and joints. The pills that the vet gave him on Wednesday didn't help with the pain of his arthritis and he was crying during the night so my mom decided it was best to put him to sleep. He was 16/17 years old and I knew my mom had a valid point. We took care of him and tried to make him comfortable in his old age.

He was a huge part of my childhood and while I wasn't his favorite person, I'll miss him. I'll miss him transforming from a grumpy old dog to getting excited like a puppy when my mom returned home from work.  I'll miss seeing him narrowly bumping into the walls because of his bad back legs and his cataracts
or staring at you when he wanted your food or
twirling around and barking with excitement because
 you were finally getting up to give him water.
or going after Tio Franklin and Rashad even though
he couldn't see or hear and
almost falling down the basement steps

He got stiff when you picked him up from the back and carried down the stairs. He didn't like being picked up like a baby doll since we didn't raise him that way. I called him my wolf dog. No frilly cute sweaters for him. Maybe a warm sweater for the cold and maybe I did try to braid his hair.

We grew old together.
I'm in my senior year of college and
he was getting on in his dog years.
My mom was right. It was time to end the suffering of an old dog in pain with twisted legs and not wanting to eat ice cream. She has to get ready for work now. My sister too. She's thinking about buying converse and I have to send out applications to internships...

And if I  think the house was empty before because the birds passed away and the cat from 8 years ago,
imagine now. Maybe I am being selfish but my childhood was intertwined with pets and now most of them have passed away due to old age. I wanted him to get better, bounce back to before he got sick and couldn't move from his bed but what is getting better if he is still old and his legs stopped giving the same capability of getting him up and down the stairs? At least he didn't die from the COPD. Suffocation is my worst nightmare. It doesn't sound/feel pretty. At least he doesn't have to deal with the snow anymore.

The dog with nine lives...
I'm pretty sure there's still poop in the yard.