Victor Part 2

I can't thank friends and family enough for your condolences about our beloved Victor.  Many of you had sent prayers and good wishes and we've felt them all. In case you missed it, you can read Victor’s Story here. I'm generally a positive person, but it has taken everything in me not to be mad at God for taking Victor away from us so soon.  I've been pretty quiet around the house and in doing so, I've imagined Victor in his usual spots and I still see his shadow greeting me at the door when I come home.  But since I'm a verbal thinker, friends have allowed me to come to a conclusion about this sad chapter in our family:

The days before we left for our trip, Victor was a happy, playing, eating, drinking and pooping kind of dog.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Whenever he saw the suitcases come out, you would see the most depressed dog!  Usually, he would mope around and give us sad puppy eyes whenever he got the chance but usually after a couple days of us being gone, he would perk up.

This time was different...

Victor was such an intelligent dog, that I believe he knew he was sick but didn't want us to know.  I think that since he knew we were going to be gone for a while, he was going to let himself be sick after we left to spare us the agony of watching him die.  I am so thankful for our neighbor who took such good care of him for us while we were gone.  We have the most tremendous amount of guilt for putting them through this agony with Victor, but we are so thankful that since they loved Victor so much, they were there for him through the end for us.  Victor didn't want us to see his pain but he loved our neighbor and trusted them enough to let himself go in their care.

Maybe this is just another one of my bullshit theories but it beats being mad at God for taking Victor away from us.  I imagine him running around with Koda Bear and her puppies and it makes me smile.  Staying busy is the key to not losing my mind during the day but not seeing him laying in his bed at night still chokes me up.

I tell my girls that time heals all wounds...

Victor was truly that perfect dog I always wanted.  He rarely barked, he wasn't overly active but was always eager to take advantage of a walk, he didn't shed a lot and that dog could hold his pee for more than 12 hours!

Victor had the most softest fur.  He was beautiful and people would stop and ask to buy him from us.  Teaching him tricks was a breeze.  And did I mention his soft fur?

Time heals all wounds...

Victor's Story

I don't blog anymore.  I do cherish all my posts and I have more material to write about that could last me for years, but until I'm ready to blog again, this story is worth writing about.  We once had the "perfect dog".  You can read about Koda Bear's Story here...

...Until Victor came into our lives.

After Koda died, it didn't take long for Victor to find us.  He was 7 months old when he was ready for a new home.  He was bred to be a drug sniffing police dog but since he didn't have the ball drive, he ended up in our home.  People giggled when we told them that because he really didn't have any ball drive.  Victor was the most laid back and easy going dog of all, and we liked that!

I don't know what I did to make Victor imprint on me so hard.  He would follow me around everywhere I went, wait for me outside the bathroom door and when I went around the corner, he was peeking around to make sure I didn't disappear.  He was protective of all of us and showed his love all the time.  I've been told that when I left the house, Victor would mope around and wait by the door and not even treats would get him away from the door until I got home.

Victor was the softest dog to pet.  He knew it too.  He expected everyone to pet him. Everyone loved Victor, even none-dog people.  There was just something about him that everyone loved.

Victor loved the snow, he loved being bathed and loved to swim. He was just a happy dog no matter what we were doing.



Victor could smell an egg and a piece of cheese a mile away and he would come running!

...And he had the strangest way of stretching.  Doggie yoga.










We believe that by the time Victor was born and when Koda Bear died, her soul found Victor about the time he was ready to leave his mother. A few months later, Victor joined our family.  Victor had every personality trait Koda had and more.  We saw Koda in Victor all the time.  We truly were the real story of A Dog's Purpose.

But God had other plans for Victor...

We were on vacation when our neighbor called and said Victor was acting very sick.  She took him into the vet to find out that he had pancreatitis and an infection that was affecting his liver.  The disease hit him so hard and so fast, that there wasn't anything anyone could've done.  He was in so much pain that the vet said she couldn't wait for us to get home that night from our vacation.  We were only part way home when God took Victor to heaven.

For the first time ever, I didn't want to come home from a vacation knowing he wouldn't be there to greet us at the door. The 8-hour drive could've taken 18 hours and I wouldn't have cared. It was the hardest homecoming we ever had.

We were blessed to have Victor for six years.  He truly was the "perfect dog".

 

Victor
March 15, 2012 - July 22, 2018