weeks by placing an ad in the newspaper & hanging signs at the local grocery stores but to no avail. So I decided to keep him. I named him Hounddog. Hounddog turned out to be my best
friend. He would follow me around everywhere I went, he loved a car ride, he would greet me in the driveway when I came home from work & he had the best personality I'd ever seen. He loved
being in the house (even though he had previously been a hunting dog that was tied up outside) He had his own blanket that I took care in washing for him every weekend. He also loved the
cute little "steak" soft treats. He was very loving & would walk up to me & lay down & paw at me so that I would rub his belly. He was also there for me for support when I needed him through thick & thin. He was always glad to see me & always made me feel good. But in these past few
years, he has been through so much. He was attacked by a stray pit bull that broke both of his jaw bones & lost a few of his teeth. I took him to the nearest veterinarian that I could find on short notice, (Dr. Donald Gibson in Grayson, KY) & he performed 2 surgeries on Hounddog to replace his mouth to semi-normal so he could still eat & drink. (The doctors & staff at All Creatures
Veterinary Care in Grayson, KY have been just wonderful to me & Hounddog!!!) After that ordeal, he developed an infection in his mouth from one of his teeth that were missing. It moved down into his throat & was cutting off his airway. Again, I took him to the Doc & he was "fixed" once more. Then after that, he was diagnosed with heartworms. I put him through treatment &
followed the Doc's orders to the letter. Finally he was rid of them. Through all of these things, he still kept the best attitude & wagged his tail all the time & almost smiled at me when I spoke to him. I was his comfort & he knew that I would do my best to always take care of him. Now,
being an old beagle, his kidneys started to fail along with multiple other problems that had
developed. I had also recently found out, by taking an x-ray of his chest, that he had developed a huge mass next to his heart. This morning at 9:30 a.m., he was put to rest. That was the hardest
thing I ever had to decide in my life. I love him so much & he loves me & knows that I have done everything I can to help him & keep his quality of life good. I'm so heartbroken but I am glad to know that he isn't suffering at all now. And every morning while getting ready for work, I'll be able to look out my bathroom window & see him sleeping soundly, wrapped up in his blanket, just at the other end of my yard. I can talk to him just like I used to & I know that he hears me. I can still hear his little tail thumping on the floor when I would tell him, "Good morning Mr. Hounddog!!" I will miss my best friend so much.
