Gus, Gus-Gus, Gusbutt, Gussers, bud-bud, buddy, puppy, sweet boy…just a few of the names we called our Gus for so many years. We said goodbye to him June 17, 2019 after having him in our lives for 15 years.
He came to us unexpectedly in 2004. He had been an indoor dog for the first year and a half of his life and things weren’t going great. We took him without hesitation and he promptly showed us that the outdoors was where he was truly happy. He was the perfect addition to our family that we didn’t even know we needed.
We installed the invisible fence, took the time to train him and his older brother Frisco and they lived the best life on about 6 acres of woods. We never had to crate them or tie them up, they got to run free together chasing critters, dragging deer bones back to their beds and rolling in mud. They did manage to find themselves on the other side of the fence once in a while and we can only imagine the adventures they had those days running around together.
Some of his adventures got him field trips to the vet. Shortly after we got him, he ingested Decon. It was too late to make him throw up, and I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have went well anyway, so we rushed him to the emergency vet. We left with Vitamin K and a 60% chance of him surviving. This is when we learned his will was strong. He recovered 100%. Our vet said she had never seen a dog with his levels of poison and live.
Gus would continue to show us his spunky, get after it attitude. He loved food and was never afraid to go after what he wanted whether it be a woodchuck, opossum, turkey butt (yes, he ate the butt of a turkey). He was even willing to get a little feisty with his brother Frisco when it came to tortilla chips. He slowly became covered with scars but we think they made him even more handsome.
After Frisco died two years ago, Gus slowed down a bit. He didn’t run around in the woods as much and he did seem to be missing his brother a lot. There was a point that we weren’t sure he was even going to make it to May 2018 when we planned on leaving on our trip.
We brought him to the vet and she was concerned about him. We ran a few tests but there was nothing overtly wrong, “he’s just old” were her exact words and that a long trip would probably take quite a toll on him. Many asked if we were taking him as well. I guess I never really understood that question because of course we were taking him. He’s our family. We made the necessary adjustments in the truck and camper and off we went.
We are so thankful that we were able to travel with Gus for 249 days this past year. Seeing his little face first thing every morning was a joy (well, most of the time.) When it was 5 am, we were a little less joyous but his excitement to see us and to get outdoors was so fun.
He truly was happiest being outside by our sides. The first six months we hiked and climbed and saw amazing things. And Gus was leading those hikes. He was always out in front at the end of the leash just taking it all in. It was truly a wonderful thing to see. He tasted the Arctic & Pacific Ocean, licked glaciers in Alaska and hung out in Key West.
Arctic Ocean on Summer Solstice
As the trip wore on, he began to show signs of his age. Around Thanksgiving he started having some problems with balance and was unable to walk the distances he once was. But he still was spunky and excited to just be with us. We got home at the end of January and that is when he had his first seizures. We thought we were losing him. But he came out of them with a look like, what’s up? We knew he had some things going on inside, we just didn’t know to what extent.
January 28 was his 16th birthday. As we moved back into our house and got settled in, he continued to have a couple more seizures and he was throwing up more. He was still doing stairs just fine but definitely wasn’t chasing critters through the woods. A walk to the mailbox and back showed us that his days of hiking were over.
We made the decision not to bring him to the vet to get checked out. We knew what they were going to say. We had some meds for him to keep him comfortable and we just wanted to be with him. He took his naps between us in the living room, slept on his favorite comfy bed at night and was just happy to be around us when we were outside.
Anybody that has had to make the decision to put a pet down knows how difficult that decision is. We struggled and cried and talked to Gus, wanting him to show us a sign. Some days his little eyes just looked so sad. He slept most of the day away and gave us a pained look when he had to tackle the stairs. We knew he was hurting and tired. We knew if we kept waiting we were just selfishly keeping him here for us.
When we finally did make the decision I couldn’t stop crying. How can we be choosing to do this to our beloved pet that has loved us so unconditionally for so many years? It comes down to this, our pets are not here indefinitely. They are here to be loved by us, to love us, and to make us better people. We were able to give him a lifetime of love, adventures and cuddles. As hard as it was to say goodbye, and no matter how awful it makes us feel to make a decision like this, we did it for him.
Gus went out chomping on yummy treats being loved on by Craig and I. It was fitting to see his little spunky attitude right until the end. Thank you Gus for loving us, for sticking with us for so many years and for bringing immeasurable joy to our lives. So long little loyal dog…you were one of the best.
I feel your pain and grief. Making the decision to put our dog Jack down was the hardest thing I have done in my life. You were able to give Gus experiences that few dogs would ever have. He knew he was loved!
I didn’t know until today of your loss. It truly breaks my heart. Gus received a gift in his life when you both became his parents. How great that he could travel and experience the many different places (and smells). His memory will never be forgotten and you both will talk and laugh even years from now. Gus wasn’t just a dog, he was your little boy and part of the family. Thank you for sharing Gus’s story.
My heart breaks for the two of you. People without furkids don’t get it. Like I said before, you gave him the trip of a lifetime before his journey over the 🌈 bridge. Love to you both.