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Tribute to "Magic" On Tuesday morning 02/18/2020, our dog Magic, beloved companion of almost 16 years had to be put to sleep. He was a mix of Dalmatian and Black Labrador Retriever. This mix is also known as a Dalmador He came into our lives in late 2004, not many months after our dog Snowball died. My wife picked the name of Magic for him. Being part Dalmatian he was a bit of a handful at first but his Lab heritage help to mellow him. After six months he quickly became my best buddy. Once I was able to work from home, I would take him for a walk every possible day. Living among the Redwoods we would walk for miles and he and I loved every minute. He quickly learned the basic tricks such sit, come and of course respond to his name. He would also "sit pretty" which is where he would sit like a prairie dog. If you said "bang" he would fall on his stomach. When we moved to Pennsylvania we went by car with Magic in the back seat. We would stop at pet friendly motels and he would sleep in the room with us. There was never a problem. He was almost the perfect dog with the exception barking whenever anyone would come to our yard. Of course that was part of his Dalmatian breeding. the surprising thing of a Dalmador is that it keeps itself quite clean. If an odor is detected it usually smells like a Frito corn chip. For most of his life he had great agility. He would jump completely over a coffee table that was located in front of the couch. He would then sit proudly on the couch. Our home in Pennsylvania adjoined a forest growing on hill. I blazed a trail through it and was able to connect to a housing development at the top of the hill. Magic and I would take many walks using the trail. This trail provided an easy circle route. Most everyone who saw us would comment on how handsome of a dog he was. If they were brave enough to pet him they were astounded how smooth his coat was. His ears were smooth as silk. I will dearly miss petting his ears and giving him a nose fix. He was diagnosed with Cushing Disease when he was 11. The standard treatment is to use drugs that in essence would burn out a part of the adrenal glands. If too much is burned then Addison's disease occurs. I elected to use various homeopathic medicines. It was a lot of work but for about four years I was able to maintain his quality of life. During his mid years his weight had increased to 78 pounds. At the Vet's suggestion we put him on a restricted diet. We would let the dog dish go empty and when got hungry he would pick up the dog dish with his mouth and bring it to us. However, things turned for the worse in July of 2019. He had lost almost 20 pounds. The prior checkup he had a weight of 78 pounds. Unfortunately, he continued to lose weight and on Saturday the 15th of February he went outside as usual. I then heard him whimper which he rarely would do. I went outside and he was lying on his side. My wife and I were able to get him up and walk back to the house. Throughout Saturday him seemed to improve but he went downhill steadily on Sunday. On Tuesday he collapsed again and it became clear that it was time to release him from his misery. I fervently wish the poem listed below reflects his experience after death.
As much as I loved the life we had
and all the times we played, I was so very tired and knew my time on earth was soon to fade. I saw a wondrous image of a place that's trouble-free Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity. I needed to reach out to you, to tell you that I'm well, That this place is truly wonderful, a happy place to dwell. My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new And I wanted to go run there, but I had something left to do. That your heart shouldn't ache so, ...the pain should go away I'll wait for you in comfort 'til you come for me someday. That although we're not together in the way we used to be, We're still connected by a bond no eye can ever see. Excerpt from the Poem Beyond the Rainbow author unknown .. Farewell my faithful friend - Farewell |