Pete, Our wonderful Boxer
Last week, My daughter lost her loyal and loving dog, Pete. This boxer was her constant companion and kept her safe and loved while on the road as a truck driver.
Pete is Short for Peterbilt, a big, solid truck.
Melissa found Pete as a puppy, about 10 years ago. Aside from one vacation, they had not been apart from each other for the entire 10 years. Pete rode in the passenger seat of Melissa’s truck, travelling all over Canada and the US. His name “Slobberin’ Pete” is on his door.
The Protector
Pete would bark so loud if anyone came near Melissa’s truck. He had a very Loud, threatening bark. But all the drivers the Melissa worked with knew that he was a cuddle puppy behind the loud bark. Once he knew you, he would present his backside to you for a scratch.
You couldn’t trust Pete to be gentle with the smaller livestock, but once he bonded with another dog, they were best friends
Pete and Sheba would happily patrol our 80 acres together. When we had our puppy, Blu, Pete was showing him the ropes.
All the wwoofers that stayed with us loved and cuddled with Pete, as as did all of our Family and Friends.
The Big C
Pete started showing signs of illness a few months ago. There was blood in his urine and occasionally he would lose control of his bladder. The vet did lots of test, but the cause of his illness remained unknown for some time.
In September, he had a seizure. Melissa took him to an emergency vet. They had equipment to scan him, and discovered that his body was riddled with cancer. However, for the most part he was still his active, puppylike self.
As time went on, the seizures increased in frequency. He wore a diaper occasionally, but he was still his normal self most of the time. We thought we had more time…
Last week, he was running and playing like a young pup. He bowed and Jumped as he liked to do. Then he had his final seizure, and did not wake up. Melissa is devastated.
We miss him terribly. RIP Pete.
