Eddie hikes to the Rainbow Bridge

Eddie
August 24, 2003 - April 6, 2015

Last Monday,  just four days after we lost Sweet Shiloh, Eddie followed her to the Rainbow Bridge.  Cluster seizures – seven or eight within 36 hours - were doing permanent damage;  once the meds kicked in he had respite from them but quickly developed an adverse reaction to the medication.  Frenetic agitation and hyperactivity were too much for his already compromised heart, and he kept losing consciousness.   In consultation with my vet, and keeping his quality of life foremost in mind,  I made the heartbreaking decision to let him go.  Bless his vet for coming out Easter Monday morning – Eddie was able to leave this world in the safety of our home, in the comfort of my arms, and his leaving was quick and peaceful.  

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Eddie, dear boy, you were not the easiest dog to love – which is, I suppose, a strange way to begin my tribute to you.  Your over-the-top food obsession, your barking, and your many anxieties earned you the nicknames of Annoying Eddie, Excitable Eddie, and Anxious Eddie.  But your good points redeemed you and you wormed your way into the hearts of all who knew you. You were a good companion in so many ways.

Of course I was!
I graduated from school!

You were a friend to everyone - human, canine and even feline.  You loved picnics on the beach, especially if egg salad sandwiches were involved, and parties in the back yard.  You heard the sound of the cookie jar from three houses away, and no crumb on the floor escaped your attention.  You had a big personality yet you could settle down quietly when your needs for food, exercise, and attention had all been met.  And you were unique - there was no other dog quite like you!

Didya remember the
egg salad sandwiches, mom?

Eddie and a few of his
many friends and family

Party Animal!

We had such great times hiking – your very favourite activity next to eating – and you quickly earned the privilege of being off leash.  Liver treats sure helped with reliable recall.  This week as I went through the thousands of photos of our hikes together, one image occurred over and over and over – a very happy dog running back to mama!

I'm coming, mama, I'm coming!

Travelling to visit friends and family was another matter.  The journey was great;  going into unfamiliar buildings not so much.  Still, you wanted to please me and you wanted to be with me, and so you braved trips to the lower mainland and the Okanagan, put up with being carried up and down stairs, hesitantly slunk down apartment hallways or into strange houses.

Road Trip!!

Eddie on the shores of
Okanagan Lake

But if there were bumper stickers for dogs, yours would read “I’d rather be camping!”   If you had to sleep away from home, a tent was your shelter of choice.  I wish we’d done more camping together.  You owned the tent from the moment it was set up, slept happily in your crate, paid no heed to the sounds of the forest. By day we hiked, or lazed around the fire visiting with friends.  If you’d had access to the food supplies, I’m sure you’d have been roasting hotdogs and making s’mores.

Camping out at Emory Creek, BC
and visiting with
King, Molly Dawg, and Lady May

But hiking?  That was what you lived for.  It was as if you wanted to cram into the short time you had with me all the fun you missed out on during your first eight years.  So hike we did.  Maple Mountain and Mt. Richards, Grace Road Park and Swallowfield, Chemainus Lake and Crofton Lake,  Osborne Bay Park and Mt. Tzouhalem,  so many walks and hikes with so many good friends. Those places won't be quite the same without you.  Your friends and I will miss you.

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.

Happy trails, my little hiking buddy.  Happy trails.

Love, Mom.