Gus was a hound puppy we rescued when I was about four years old. A small litter mixed of two showdogs, Redbone Coonhound and a German Short-haired Pointer, showed up at an animal shelter in Westland, MI. We were visiting my grandparents when we heard about a bunch of puppies being put up for adoption at the local PetSmart. We decided to adopt Circle. “Circle” was the name originally given to Gus when we first adopted him, because he would always chase his tail. Little did we know, this action is also a sign of anxiety.
Gus and Me
As a four-year-old, I was able to pick Gus up and carry him around with me. His hair was shiny and black and he was the wrinkliest dog, in a cute way. You could take toys from him and he wouldn’t bite. When I’d play outside he would always be there, right beside me. One of my most vivid and earliest memories of him and I was when we sat on the front porch of my old house. I told him everything, and I never had an imaginary friend; Gus was my friend. As he got older, his hound hunting instincts began to heighten. His nose got him into loads of trouble since we lived in the woods and often ran off to chase deer and other animals; sometimes catching them and bringing them back to the house.
Like I said earlier, a dog chasing their tail could be an early sign of anxiety. The type of anxiety Gus had was separation. When we’d leave, he’d tare up anything and everything he could get his nose into. Our doors are forever marked with his claw scratches until we fix them.
Gus was my first friend. He’d love to goof around and try to get me to play with him, but when he got older, all he wanted to do was just be near me. Though he was about 100 lbs, it did not stop him from trying to sit, lay, and sleep on me. Falling asleep with his head on my lap was the most wholesome and comforting feeling.
Sadly, I had to say goodbye to Gus in late August of last year; he passed away at age 14. This was one of the hardest goodbyes for me ever, but we all knew that it was hit time. He suffered from a stroke. Gus will always be in memory as the puppy with the wrinkly face and ears that dragged on the floor. He’ll be the biggest lapdog with the sweetest brown eyes. He’ll be in my heart forever. s
5 Comments
Very sorry for your loss Katie. I have two dogs myself and their companionship can be so reassuring. Anytime I think of them passing it makes me very sad. I dread the day I’m in your shoes.
I’m so so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you have a lot of fond memories of Gus that’ll most definitely stick with you forever. Gus sounds like an amazing dog who was incredibly lucky to be adopted by you and your family. I’m sure that he’s watching over you and making sure you’re happy from where ever he may be.
I’m so sorry about your loss, I also have some pups that have separation anxiety so I can really understand the relationship you shared with Gus.
Hey Katie, I first just want to say, I am sorry for your loss. I know it is so hard to lose a dog that has been in your life for as long as you can remember. This post reminds me of a song by Chris Stapleton called “Maggie’s Song”. Not sure if you like country, but it is such a good song about a dog, similar to your dog!
Also, I love the aesthetic of your overall blog website! So simple yet so real.
I’m sorry for your loss. I found this anecdote to parallel a similar experience I had when I was much younger with my family’ first dog. He was 12 when we had to put him down because he refused to eat and had developed severe back problems. Compared to the relationship that you had with your dog, I was not nearly as close, but I still felt the pain when he had to go. Thank you for sharing this story, his memory will live on through this post.