Farewell, sweet Luigi

Luigi has been fighting kidney disease for over a year and had a degenerative spine condition. He had failed over the last few months, and was exhibiting bizarre behavior over the last few days. He was so agitated, he required medicine to sleep. Today he suffered through a scheduled trip to the groomer, came home, had a nap, then could not get up. He was in obvious pain, had tremors and probably at least one convulsion. Our dear friend and vet agreed to meet us at the office at 9:30. She confirmed that Luigi's situation had deteriorated dramatically and that she felt he could not sustain life in his condition. As he lie there trembling and moaning, we made the most difficult decision any pet owner will ever make and decided to put to him to rest. He was anesthetized first and, once asleep, his all-too-brief life was ended, his suffering terminated, and our lives changed forever.

Luigi was about 8 when we rescued him, suffered an intestinal bleed that almost cost him his life early on, and terrors caused by the onset of deafness. Through it all, he was a warm, loving lap-dog, always happy to share his 35 lbs and poodle-mix soft fur with any takers. He was a local celebrity having starred in two United Way films and appeared at various community forums and leadership programs. The 4 1/2 years he was with us was all too brief.

Rest in peace, dear Luigi. First you captured our hearts, now you have broken them. We will miss you and love you forever.