Graphit, Our Boy

by Leah
(Antwerp, Belgium)

We said goodbye to our beloved cocker spaniel Graphit last Friday, June 17. He just turned 15 on June 6.

Graph had been suffering from a chronic ear infection for more than 7 years and in the last 3 years, we had to administer various medicines just to keep the infection from worsening. Graph became completely deaf 3 years ago, and yet he would respond when we tapped the floor or the furniture. He followed the directive signs of our hands when we wanted him to follow us, to go up and down the stairs, to sit or to be still.

In fact, he learned to understand our signs and he would proudly offer his paws in order to make a sign that he was a good boy and must therefore be rewarded with his favorite salami. After emptying his food bowl, he would always come to me and my husband to ask for his salami and he won’t stop begging until he got 2 pieces of salami (one from me and one from my husband).

But last week, we noticed that he seemed so tired, always lying on his bed and he no longer ran when he went to our backyard. He refused to eat on Thursday and even his favorite salami would not make him open his mouth. On Friday, we noticed a big swelling just under his ears.

When we brought him to the vet, we were told that he had a massive infection and he seemed to have lost the will to fight the infection. The vet told us, he had about 2 weeks to live, but those 2 weeks would be very painful for him. I asked the vet to make the pain go away and she gently told me that we could allow Graphit to go now and spare him further pain.

My husband gave the permission to let him sleep and I was holding him while he was being injected. I held him until even after the vet told me he was gone. I could not stop crying. We had him cremated last Tuesday.

I have been crying everyday for him, missing him and feeling so sorry that I was helpless to take away his pain.

I am grateful for this website and for the chance to write a memorial for our beloved Graphit.

To Graph, we will never forget you. Your paw prints will forever be engraved in our lives, in our memories, in our hearts. You came as a frightened 3 year old doggie, who did not want to be touched and caressed at times, since you maybe thought that hands could hurt and cause pain on your small body.

And yet, after several weeks (or were they months?), you learned to trust again and you learned that our hands were there to caress you, to stroke you and to keep you steady. We saw you change from an angry and suspicious dog, to a happy and playful one, so proud to show off his toys and so happy and welcoming when we came home from work.

How I wish I could again hold you, play with you, bring you to the dog park in front of our house, or just look into your soulful eyes. Your eyes are now closed and I am sure you are now in a place where no pain exists and where you can again hear. I just hope that they will remember to also give you your salamis.

We love you.