When i was six years old, we got a puppy. He came from Idaho to his sisters house where we picked him up. I remember when my dad came home with him and he was toddling all over the place. I remember his smallness ( even to a six year old) and calling his tongue "Ham- HAM!". Naming him was a grueling process. I wanted to name this toddling dog Pongo, because i was in LOVE with 101 Dalmatians. So i went to take a bath and in all the excitement of the dog, they named him while i was in the tub. You see, he had this ring around his tail, a perfect little ring of black. It was only fitting that his name would be Saturn. I loved the unusual quirky ness of his name, everyone thought it was weird, which i thought was cool.
He was the smartest dog you would ever meet. Im not kiddin- THE SMARTEST. He was the best dog you could ask for. He would come and sit by you, snuggle up on your lap, bark at the unruly Mail Man, and play for hours on end in the backyard. Spunk would be the way to describe him. Even when he was 12 and an "old man" he was spry. He started sleeping on my bed to keep me "safe". He started sleeping with me when i was barely 9. I loved having his little curled up body near me at night. It actually made me feel safe.
But in December we noticed this bump starting to grow on his leg. But he didnt let it get to him, and went on with his crazy wild side. But then he started hobbling on it. So we took him to the vet. The diagnosis- Bone Cancer. It literally made me sick. I couldn't believe that MY dog, had bone cancer. They said they could amputate the leg, but there was no guarantee that it would work. He was living in pain from day to day and it was getting worse and worse. It broke my heart seeing him so sad lying around, yet you could tell his mind was still sharp. But the pain he was living in was unbearable. We had to put him down.
After school on Thursday before he had to go to the vet to be "put down" i gave him about 7 dog treats. I had to go to a haircut, so i had to make my goodbye. I hugged him and said that i would miss him. It was the HARDEST thing i have ever had to do. He was the only dog i had ever known, best playmate, confidant, and a great friend.
I remember when i was 7 i asked my dad if Sazzy (Saturn) would get to go to heaven. He said that dogs didnt have souls, so he wouldnt go to heaven. And that made me wonder what happened to dogs when they died. But now its hard to imagine that his life just ended- nothing more to his life. Now when i look on it i hope that Saturn is in heaven, chasing the pesky cat, and soaking up some rays.
Heres to you Saz- You get that Mail Man, there must be plenty in heaven to choose from.
