Saying Goodbye to a dear friend

This is Mr. Bailey. I had to say goodbye to him yesterday.

I got Mr. Bailey in August 2002, when he was just a puppy, and I was fresh out of college. He's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He turned 13 at the beginning of August.

Mr. Bailey liked to lick my breath.

Not my face, just my breath. He'd get close to my face, then just start licking. If I leaned towards him so that he'd catch my face, he'd lean back and keep licking the air in front of me. He was relentless, and would lick the air in front of my face for long stretches of time if I let him.

Mr. Bailey with his partner in crime, Sadie

Two years after getting Bailey, my wife and I got Sadie. Bailey was such a social dog that he would whimper for 5 minutes excitedly when we got home from work. We got Sadie so that he wouldn't be so lonely. Even though they're not related, Sadie always looked like a miniature version of Bailey.

Cuddle Buddies

They couldn't be more different, but they were inseparable. Sadie is the social butterfly. Bailey was less outgoing, but fiercely loyal. Once he warmed to you, he loved you forever, and you him.

"Excuse me, young lady, do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior?"

After my first daughter was born, he and Sadie spent more and more time at my sister's house. She lives 3 blocks away and her kids are older, so they got special attention and less pulled hair. After my second daughter, they basically lived there full time. I still saw him all the time.

Bailey had a heart murmur for several years, and he was getting to the upper edge of lifespan for a Cavalier. Yesterday my sister noticed that he was panting heavily all day and scheduled a vet appointment. Before the appointment she let him outside to do his business. He collapsed on the back porch. She rushed him to the vet and called me on the way.

The vet confirmed that he had congestive heart failure and a likely ruptured tumor that was causing bleeding. His heartbeat was nonexistent, but he was still alive. They had him on oxygen, which calmed him. They told me that it was time to let him go.

So long, lil' buddy. I miss you so much.

We got the chance to say goodbye before they put him to sleep. I ran my fingers through his soft fur, telling him what a good boy he'd been all these years and how much I loved him. As I put my face close to his. My heart broke as he lifted his snout one last time and stuck his tongue out, licking my breath, but not my face.

Goodbye, Mr. Bailey. You were a great dog and a wonderful friend. I will miss you terribly.