One tough Cookie

Cookie: Born ? Died 26 March 2007

Dear Cookie,

This week marks the second anniversary of your death. I can't believe that two years have passed so quickly. I often wonder what you would have been like if you had the chance to grow old. Difficult, I would imagine, given your handicap. But your poor broken back and backward legs are not how I remembered you. Your spirit and sweet, sweet nature (guess your name is quite appropriate) is what I recall.

I remember the first time we (Sean and I) caught sight of you. We were on our way home and at a traffic light. I saw this white shape 'slither' across the road. Couldn't believe that you could move so fast using only your front paws. Needless to say, we took you in and brought you to the vet. Funnily, I was never afraid that you would bite me. You were a stray that had been knocked over by a car and left with paralysed hind legs, life must have been hard for you. Yet, you let me carry you and never growled even when you were poked and prodded at the vet's.

Trying out the 'wheelchair'

Sean loved you. You were HIS. He never felt this way about our other dogs. He named you Cookie because he didn't like the nurses at the vet giving you the nickname "men" (which means smelly in Thai). He insisted we visit you every single day after school. Poor you. You were in the hospital for almost two months. You had a host of parasites in your blood stream, on top of that, your hind legs were raw and almost scrapped to the bone because you were dragging yourself across rough asphalt.

You loved treats. You would come with your tail swishing from side to side when you heard 'Cookie.... treat'. You were a wanderer. I guess given your history, to keep you caged up would be the worst kind of punishment. You took to your 'wheelchair' and would zip around in it.

But I guess you were not meant to be long with us. We were devastated when you died. My little boy cried for days when he found out. He kept asking why did God take you when you didn't do anything wrong.

The last picture of you with Sean.

You may have been with us for a very short time, but you will always be remembered with love. I know that you are in doggy heaven and running around free and without pain. You may have been unwanted when you were born, but you were loved when you left this world. Rest in peace.