Mama called me one day to tell me someone from her church was looking for a new home for a Jack Russel Terrier they had rescued from a park. The couple had been walking at the park and found this terrified, lost, hungry puppy and decided to take her home. They took her to the vet to nurse her back to health, got her shots and had her spayed. The next day, they put signs up all over the park and around town hoping the owner would claim their little lost puppy.
After a while, the vet said that since no one claimed the puppy, the couple could have her. So they brought the pretty white puppy home and named her Patches.
Patches was quite a handful and she began terrorizing the couple's cats and other dogs. They tried everything they could but Patches kept running away and running amok. After a while, they decided she needed a family to love her and someone younger to run after her.
Well, in short, that is how we met Patches. We were living in a condominium at the time and the sweet couple brought Patches to us one sunny afternoon. It was love at first sight. Patches was such a beautiful puppy and so loving. She rolled over at my feet and let me rub her tummy on that first day and she took to the children right away.
Sydney wanted to name the puppy Peaches, but since she already would come to the name Patches, we just officially named her Patches Peaches. She was a great dog. She loved riding in the car and would go with me to pick up the kids from school every day.
Patches was a ball of fire, though. She clawed my dining room chairs trying to keep a look out at the window of our dining room. No gate could keep her confined. She was a loaded gun ready to fire any moment she could break free. She was strong and fast and had enormous amounts of energy. I admit, she wore me out. She had ADD and didn't particularly like just laying around hanging out with the family. She loved it when we gave her things to do but could out last any of us with her energy. Even a treat filled Kong was no match for Patches.
At the apartment, her favorite activity was tight rope walking. A friend called her a catog, meaning half cat, half dog. She slinked around the top edges of all the furniture trying to show off her balancing talents. She probably had run away from the circus, truth be told. Trying to exercise her on a leash was no easy task. Have you ever seen me run? It's not normal. But we did it rain, snow, sleet or shine. Several times a day. I have vivid memories of the first time I seriously contemplated giving her away. I was sick with bronchitis. It was raining and freezing outside. Patches was on the leash and I was running laps with her in the ball field oustside our apartment. I was having trouble breathing so I just unbuckled the leash and whoosh! Like the wind she flew. She flew and flew like a speeding white bullet. She needed a big yard with a fence.
Soon, we were building our new house and we were thrilled to build Patches a new fence so she could run around a yard to her heart's desire. Scroll down and read about the epic tales of Patches the wonder dog. Keeping Patches corralled has been an uphill battle. Her shenanigans sometimes make us laugh and sometimes make us very frustrated. Many times I have called her my little P.I.T.A. which stands for Pain In The You Know Where. It's true. She's a difficult dog, but absolutely, hands down, the lovingest little dog you ever did see. Well, unless you are a neighbor's cat or poodle whom she tried to devour.
She can remove nails with her teeth. She can climb trees. She can jump higher than you would imagine a 12 year old dog being able to leap. She can dig. She can withstand a shock or two from a radio fence. She can communicate telepathically with a retarded dog to eat the collar off of her. She can push big wheels to the fence and climb over.
We welcomed two more babies to our brood and without meaning to, Patches really took a back seat in my life. I still loved her but didn't have the time to give her the attention she wanted and deserved when I was spread so thin with five children. So we decided to give her a sister. Bailey is a special needs datschaund who is somewhat retarded, but has been a wonderful companion to Patches. They loved each other so very much. Patches was a very happy dog who loved playing with Bailey. Bailey had a talent of biting off Patches' collar so Patches could get out of the not only the fence, but also escape the invisible radio fence.
With all the things going on in my life, I have neglected certain things like going to the dentist and taking my dogs to the vet. I let their vaccinations expire. They were both in picture perfect health, so I never worried about it. Until yesterday. And it all came tumbling down.
Patches got out of the fence and found a groundhog in the back yard. I heard her barking and I went out on the deck to see what was going on. There she was having a huge fight with the groundhog. It was quite violent and very sad. I tried everything I could to distract Patches and get her to stop but nothing I did worked. Patches killed the groundhog.
I wondered if groundhogs could carry diseases like rabies and I tried calling animal control but the line was busy. Patches finally came up to the house with bribery of hotdogs. She was covered in blood and limping. Her face was scratched to pieces. Tentatively, she came to me and I got her back in the fence and being freaked out by the groundhog blood, I sectioned off a part of the fence to keep her away from everyone just in case she was dangerous to anyone.
I got in touch with animal control this morning and found out groundhogs can indeed have rabies. Because I was a complete idiot, and let her rabies vaccination expire, I had three choices. I could get the groundhog's body, have it decapitated at the vet and sent off to the state for testing while quarantining Patches at the vet while we wait for the results, or we could quarantine Patches at the vet for 6 months and wait and see what happens. She may have to be put to sleep during that time if she showed signs of rabies or if the groundhog's pathology report came back positive. Or, we could put her to sleep now. Well, the goundhog's body has gone M.I.A. So that option was out of the question. If she had been current on her vaccines, it would only be a ten day quarantine. Patches being so torn up by the groundhog, needed medical care so I couldn't just opt to keep her at home and not tell Animal Control about what happened. The vet would be liable to do the right thing any way.
The vaccine was only around $18.00. That's what it costs to take my children through the fast food drive through. Who was I kidding that we didn't have the money to take our dogs to the vet?
I had a hard decision to make. It really tore me up. I called Adrian at work and we met for lunch after I picked up Nicholas from school so we could figure out what to do. We decided we should put her to sleep.
I went to the store, bought her a cardboard crate since I couldn't carry her into the vet and I can't let her bite me or else I could be infected assuming she was contaminated. I picked up Sydney a little early from her school and had her babysit Nicholas at my mother's house. I ran home weeping the whole way. I smeared peanut butter all over the inside of the crate and went outside dressed in as much protective clothing as I could find. I didn't need to. Patches was not aggressive about going in the box even though I know she was confused about why I was putting her in one. I fed her some left over meatloaf and put her in my van and drove to the vet.
The whole ride, I told Patches all the funny and best memories we shared together. She kept her cute little black nose poking through one of the vent holes. I told her the stories of when she was a puppy and brought such a fun and bright spirit to our little family and how everyone loved her so much even though she was a mess. I told her how sorry I am for not being a better person. I just cried and cried out of love and guilt and utter sadness.
Everyone at the vet's office was so kind to me. I had a pretty major break down there and they were so compassionate, offering comfort I didn't even deserve. The technician asked me the dog's name and she promised me she would talk to Patches during the entire procedure and would help her journey right straight to heaven. She said I could watch or wait in my car and she'd come out afterwards. I waited in the car. I couldn't watch.
I was surprised when she came out carrying a little pet casket. I didn't realize I would be taking Patches home. I didn't exactly know what to do. Not to be gross, but it was a hot day today and I had about 15 minutes before the other three kids got off the bus. Oh, this is not going to be good. I can't pick up the kids from the bus stop with their pet in a casket in the back seat.
I called Adrian bawling my eyes out begging him to come straight home. He suggested I put the box in the boat and wait until he gets home in a few hours. Nope, can't do it. It's hot. Oh, man. I am going to have to put her inside until he gets home. But where? On the dining room table? I can't think straight.
The laundry room! OK, that makes sense. She can wait in there until Adrian gets home and can dig a grave for her in our little back yard pet cemetery. There are a couple of fish back there and the two puppies we lost several years ago. It's a sweet little spot. Patches will always be honored.
My hands and arms were shaking so badly when I got home that I dopped the casket on my way downstairs to the laundry room. I am sure Patches' spirit got a huge kick out of watching me tumble down the stairs cartwheeling over her dead body. Luckily, the lid stayed closed and I was able to get the casket into the laundry room, shut the door, run upstairs and high tail it to the bus stop and try to act normal when my kids got in the car. At that point, if I had broken any part of my body, I would not have been able to feel it. I was starting to have an out of body experience by this point.
"How was your day, Mom?"
"Oh, it was a very sad day, honey. The vet had to put Patches to sleep. I am so sorry."
"Where is she?"
"Honey, she is in the laundry room, actually."
"When she wakes up, can we play with her?"
"Gosh, I am sorry. This is terrible. Um, the term being put to sleep actually means the vet had to give her medicine to make her fall asleep and not wake up. She's gone. She's in heaven. And her body happens to be in the laundry room until your father gets home."
"You mean there is a dead body in the laundry room? Oh, man! I hate groundhogs. I am gonna shoot every groundhog I ever see! This isn't fair. Patches was just trying to protect us from that groundhog."
"I know, sweetheart. I know."
Adrian came home and put Patches Peaches' body to rest. Our hearts are broken. We will all miss Patches the wonder dog, the escape artist, the belly rub addict, the loyal guard dog, the faithful companion, the cat terrorizer, the ball of energy, the bullet, the fastest runner in the neighborhood, the curious wanderer, the smartest dog on the planet, our little friend.
I hope when it is my time to leave this earth, that Patches Peaches will be waiting for me at the gate.
