Foster Dog Diaries: Somewhere over the Rainbow Bridge...

I know.  My last post was asking for prayers for Walter the foster dog.  It breaks my heart to even write it, but Walter crossed over the Rainbow Bridge that afternoon.  He gave me one last look from those big brown eyes, then he laid down, closed them and slipped away.

I was planning on bringing a different dog home that day.  But them Walter looked at me with those eyes and there was no denying them.

During his heartworm treatment, Poncho and Chico laid with him. He was in quite a bit of pain and then was on kitchen arrest.  They stayed with him day and night and never went to far. 

Poncho took his big brother status seriously.  These two became so attached to each other. When Walter lied down, Poncho always had to be touching him.  Usually he would rest his head on his back.

Just after his Heartworm treatment was done, Walter started limping and we took him in to see the Dr.  Turned out that he had an arthritis flare and the muscles in his leg had atrophied.  We spent a lot of time icing and resting.  Poncho never left his side. 

The thing though, even though he was going though all his own pain, if one of the boys fell asleep on the floor, he would get out of bed and lie next to them.  Walter and Alex were best buds.  It was quite common to find them napping together on the weekends.  Walter would walk up to him and touch his nose to Alexs asking for hugs and love.  Alex sang to him when he wasn't feeling good. He iced his swollen leg and rubbed his ears until his pain meds would kick in.  Alex was his boy. 

And when he just wanted to be left alone he knew where to go for that too.  I would catch Walter in Anthonys bed, head in his lap and Anthony just whispering to him.  And every day when Anthony did his reading homework they would sit like this.  Usually tucked away in bed, but if Walter didn't feel like getting up Anthony would go to him.  

Our tiny house seems so empty with out him sprawled out in it.  I still expect to see his sleepy face greeting me in the morning.  Even David said it hurt to come home and not be welcomed by his big ole head.  See the thing is, he was never supposed to be ours.  We were fostering him.  But somewhere in there, we fell in love and he just decided we were his.  We were hoping for so much more time with him.  We find peace in knowing that he is pain free and that he knew great love in his last months with us.  

Rest easy now and know that you were loved so very much

We will miss you Big Boy

You and those big brown eyes