Goodbye Bandit

Friday was a very sad day for me.  We had to put our beautiful chocolate lab, Bandit, to sleep.  He was 10 years old and his hips had completely given out on him.  We've known for many months that his hips were bad but after seeing an x-ray of them a few weeks ago, we did not know just how bad.  Basically, they were completely worn out and he could barely walk.

Most labs are water dogs by nature, but Bandit was something else.  He lived for the water.  When we would go to our ranch house, we'd turn him loose in the river and he would just swim and swim and swim.  There was no need to entertain him by throwing sticks; he just loved to swim.  And he would make this little sing-song sound when he was swimming, like he was very happy where he was and wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

When we first got him he was a fat, wiggly little bundle of brown fur.  Of all the dogs, he was a little trouble maker when he was younger, always making mischief and getting into things he knew he wasn't supposed to (hence the name Bandit), but he simply wanted you to notice him and pay attention to him.  Which I gladly and lovingly did. 

He was a great dog and I miss him terribly already.  But he was suffering so much and I wasn't going to let him suffer any longer.  Although making that final decision was so very difficult. 

So on Friday, with his head in my lap and my tears on his face, and with Harry and my sister by his side, Bandit quietly and peacefully went to sleep. 

Rest in peace beautiful bad boy Bandit...You will always live in my heart.