Welcome to Biting-Edge, a blog shared by authors and vampire experts, Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein. We’ll cover urban fantasy, vampires, pop culture, and all things Joss Whedon. Unlike other fantasy blogs, we don’t insist on body cavity searches (unless you ask politely). Snarkiness is most welcome...though we won't promise not to bite back!

Sunday, July 26, 2009
  Life is not all sunshine and chocolate
Mario here:

It was somber this week in the Acevedo home. Our dog, Midnight, has gone to the big kennel in the sky. She was sixteen years old. The decision was not easy. She had seizures, kept falling over because of weakening hips, and suffered from worsening incontinence. But it was the bone cancer in her skull that forced us to put her down.

Here's Midnight as a puppy, being chaperoned by our cat Spotty, who is still with us.


Midnight in her prime.


We bought her for $30 from an animal shelter. She was a Lab-Pointer mix and would have made a great hunting dog. She had natural pointing behavior and when you walked her off the leash, she'd range in front of you left to right. She was also a powerful swimmer.

A loveable and well-behaved dog, she was also very stubborn, hence Nickname No 1: Cement Head.

The afternoon we took her to the vet, Midnight was excited by the trip and the attention. The injections are given in a cozy room with a loveseat, candles, a picture of a dog walking away from you down a woodsy trail, and framed odes to our departed pets. We were sad and quiet those first minutes and Midnight, keeping true to her personality, broke the tension by proving Nickname No 2: Poopmachine. A vet's assistant cleaned the mess up but the coziness turned stuffy with doggy poop smell.

The final minutes:

My son Emil tending to Midnight after the sedative injection.


While convinced we were making the right decision, obviously no one had asked the dog. She had come along willingly, enthusiastically, trusting, when our true purpose was to have her killed. What treachery. After the sedative injection, Midnight circled the room for several minutes. Her hind legs then gave out, and she finally fell over. I'm amazed how expressive eyes are. She's a dog, I'm human, and as she lie there, I could read the confusion in her eyes. In true Midnight form, she collapsed with her butt in front of the fan for the humidifier and she started to fart. I pulled her away from the fan to make the last minutes more bearable for us the living.

Then the second injection.


The vet told us to expect one deep final breath before the end. Instead, Midnight started to chuff loudly before she lay still. My sons, Alex and Emil, started their final goodbyes. I hope that when my end comes, I go surrounded like this by loved ones .
 
Comments:
I'm so sorry for your loss. What you did is a very hard decision to make but one that was necessary. I adpoted a dog named Gabby from our shelter just after we bought our house. When we got her we had no idea how sick she would get. She had Distemper. It's a very very terrible disease. I only had her for 3 weeks, but in that short amount of time she stole my heart. I had her put to sleep on the living room floor at my mother's house. We buried her in the pet cemetery at my Aunt and Uncle's farm. I know that one day she will be waiting for me on the other side of the rainbow brige with all my other fur babies lost.

My heart goes out to you and your family.
 
This makes my heart hurt. We just lost a cat that meant so much to our family. They can be so precious to us can't they?
 
This is so sad, your post has made my eyes leaky and my chest feel heavy. :)

That was a very tough decision to make and it takes a lot of courage to go through with it. It sounds like Midnight had a very loving and happy life until the end. Pets like Midnight are one of kind and are always cherished.

I hope you and family are okay. :)
 
I'm sorry, Mario. Sad times.
 
I had to put my Dalmation down a few months ago. She was 15 my 4yo and I stayed with her and cried our final tears, my heart goes out to you and your family.
 
Oh Mario -- oh sad. I'm very glad you and your sons were with Midnight though. When a pet is that much a part of your life you HAVE to be with them for that.

And I say this looking at this weds the 29th as the 1-year anniversary of having to put my beloved Chihuahua to sleep. He was just shy of 16 years, all but the first 5 weeks of his life with me.

During his final year he was progressively more ill until the only responsible thing was to put him to sleep.

It absolutely broke my heart.

My vet gave Claudius his injection and then I cradled him in my arms and sang him to sleep. He didn't poop or fart though. I felt it when his final breath left him and his heart stopped.

Then I left him there and cried for a month.

I can't believe he's already been gone a year. I still miss him.
 
Aye Mario, I'm so sorry about your baby. At least she won't be in anymore pain. I could hardly read this because of the tears blurring my vision. I'm a wimp when it comes to animals!
 
{HUGS} to you and your family.
 
Mario,
I'm so sorry for your loss. I also put my dog to sleep this week. She too was 16, bad hips,legs, deaf,dumb, and blind, and suffered bedsores from laying in the same spot day in and day out. My 'X' had to carry her up and down stairs to 'make' in the yard. Most times she didn't make it to the yard!
Our dog Crystal was part Dachshund,Jack Russel Terrier, and a tiny bit O lab in there.
She knew every trick in the book due to me. She even spoke I Love You. It rocked.
We went through all the same motions as you and your family at the vets.
We brought her home in a coffin like box (she was part vampire), and buried her in the back yard. We even had a little mass for her.
So I feel your pain.
The very next day at 3:30a.m, the house I own with my X, where our daughter and her boyfriend live with him, burned down! All got out safely!!
I think my dog, in her afterlife, started the fire cuz we shot her in the ass with tranqs and death.
 
I am so sorry, Mario. I'm sure you miss her every minute. I'm also sure she had a great life with you as a daddy.
 
Thanks for the heartfelt comments everybody.
 
Oh, Mario-- I am so sorry. I wish I was in Denver to give you a hug.

J.
 
I'm a bit late here, but I did want to extend my condolences to you and your family. Thank you for sharing pictures of her, and the story with us.
 
Mario,
I hope you and your family are doing well since your loss. Pets are family.
Thinking of you
 
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