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What Putting Down My Girlfriend’s Dog Taught Me About Life
It was heartbreaking but strangely life-affirming.
We got the call first thing in the morning, waking us up.
“She’s not doing well,” my girlfriend’s mom said, “She had a couple seizures last night.”
Mango, my girlfriend’s 15-year-old dog, had been in decline for a while. She had trouble walking and breathed heavily. But, she also had an undeniable zest for life, especially for food and affection.
We knew this was coming. We just didn’t know when.
When my girlfriend hung up the phone, we jumped out of bed, brushed our teeth, and rushed to her parent’s house. We were anxious and didn’t know what to expect when we got there.
My girlfriend’s parents had begun taking care of Mango when my girlfriend had gone traveling for a year. By the time she came back from her travels, Mango had been diagnosed with cancer and had been given six months to live. That was more than two years ago.
At the time, they decided that the best thing for Mango was to keep her in a place that was comfortable and familiar to her. So, my girlfriend’s parent’s house became Mango’s permanent home.
When we arrived, we found Mango lying on the kitchen floor. Her eyes, alert and happy, gazed at us…
