I tell you, they will be there long before any of us

The first picture we saw of him.

You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us. - Robert Louis Stevenson

He came into rescue with a huge wound on his leg that someone had wrapped in duct tape. What the hell? First he had a temporary foster, but they couldn't keep him (I don't know why.) In the kennel he started going a little nuts. Morgan hated, hated, HATED being caged, restricted, or confined. He started grinding his nose against the bars of the run until it was raw and bleeding. We took him in because he really needed a home. He started out as a foster before we decided he was part of the family. Everyone except Punkin loved him.  Look at him, he was like a big, fluffy stuffed animal, so adorable.

He was so gentle and sweet. His tail wagged almost constantly. We used to say that he was like Dru (good looking and sort of goofy) without the angry and the biting. We had this routine where he barged through the bathroom door every time I went in. Then, if I closed the door, he stood with his nose against it. I opened it and he headed out. I pushed the door to and he shoved it open with his nose and came back in. Rinse and repeat again and again.

We noticed a while back that he slowed down and his breathing had become labored. He had a lot of trouble sleeping. Last night I could tell he was really distressed so I took him to the emergency vet. He had a large tumor in his abdomen that was squeezing his lungs and heart and he was having increasing trouble breathing and was in some pain. First they said it might be pneumonia, but an ultrasound showed the mass around his heart and a bunch of fluid in his abdominal cavity.

Thomas and I took him some hamburgers for a last meal. He scarfed them up with enthusiasm. We walked him in the parking lot and spent time with him and were with him at the end. I hope he felt loved because we truly did. He was only with us for three months, but he was such a good, sweet boy.

At our Anniversary party, welcoming the guests.

 

The day before he died.