January 25 is a day that I wish I wouldn't have to write about. After 10.5 years, we said goodbye to our best pal. Bentley came into our lives in 2008 on a hot summer day. We had picked him out of the litter just two weeks before, claiming him as ours. We always joked over those 10.5 years how funny it was that we picked him because that sweet boy had quite a few random medical problems. But oh, what a perfect boy he was for us; we never regretted picking him for even one second! We knew he was ours from the second the breeder brought him out and he quickly ran to Seth and clung to his leg while all the other puppies huddled together with each other. Bentley sort of picked us! And LOOK AT THAT SWEET PUPPY!
He was honestly just the most perfect dog - we can't believe how lucky we got. Aside from the occasionally eating of crayons, he never had accidents inside, didn't chew anything and was so obedient. And PATIENT. Oh, was he patient. We saw that big time when we had kids. He was never super playful with the kids but was always exactly where they/we were, being as tolerant as ever while we dressed him, made him dance, wrestled him, kissed him, put crowns on him, and more.
He also loved himself a good nap. His favorite spot was on the couch, right on top of my pretty throw pillows. What a sweet stinker! He loved the car, playing with the laser light or flashlight in the hallway, chasing (and sometimes killing) bunnies, and going for walks and car rides.
He also LOVED Christmas because he loved to open presents. He would go nuts when we told him it was his turn to open something! We had a feeling that Christmas 2018 may be his last Christmas. I'm so glad we spoiled him like we did. He HATED the vet and would get so nervous his knees would be wobbly whenever we had to go. So it is a bit of a cruel irony that the precious pup would be plagued with so many tumors and bumps in his life. We always took them off, and did so as recently as November 2018. He was doing so well after that surgery which is why we began to get confused when he started refusing the food he'd been eating for over 10 years. It began gradually but then got to the point where we were trying a new food each week. We naively thought he was just being picky because when I started making him homemade food (with beef, chicken, veggies, vitamins, etc.) he would gobble it down.
But even after two weeks of that, he started to refuse. The vet had told me that she suspected he had cancer or some sort of gastro tumor. The barium swallow test for it was super expensive so we had originally declined, but when he continued to lose weight and throw up, we decided to go for it. The vet called me within 30 minutes of dropping him off, so I knew it wasn't good. She advised us that he had a very large abdominal mass and that there is nothing to be done for him at this age and with the tumor at that size. She could tell it was also aggressive in its nature because it was not on his November 2018 scans. :( She told us in her professional opinion, she would put him down that weekend (we found out on Friday). So as not to delay it or make him suffer any longer, we decided it would be best and most humane to put him down that evening.
We spoiled him that day...big time. We got that stud a cheeseburger, a sundae, took him on two walks, played lots of flashlight chase, and more. We told him how much we loved him and how much joy be brought us. Seth and I were with him when he passed away.
What a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching experience for our family. Bentley was the epitome of loyal, patient, loving, and the all-around best dog a family could ask for. Life isn't quite the same without him. It's quiet and weird and it's going to take some time to adjust. It'll take some time for us to know if another dog is in our future. I think yes, but that pain was deep and raw and it's hard to imagine loving a dog that much and losing him again. So, we wait and we let our hearts heal.
The kids asked a lot of we'd seem him in heaven, and I don't know the answer to that. But I do know that when God created the animals he said it was good and I think heaven will be FULL of those magnificent things. God gives good gifts to His children, and He gave us the perfect one in this dog, and we're so thankful we found him in July 2008 and for all the joy he brought to us, our neighbors, our family and friends in 10.5 years. We love you, Bentley! (aka Bubba, Bubs, Snoop Dog, Muffin, baby doggy, and all the other ridiculous names we called him)
Bentley "Maximus" Ran
June 7, 2008 - January 25, 2019
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