Good-Bye Ace

Ace was my forever dog, he was my heart and soul. This past year was a hard one on him, well harder than normal. Ace knew me, everything about. Reminded me when I forgot to eat, helped me find the truck when I got lost on the trail, comforted me when I was in pain or sick. No dog will ever be like him, no dog will ever replace the bond I had with him.

We got ace when he was 4 months old. He had come from a puppy mill outside of London that had been shut down and the first owners couldn't handle him. It must have been fate or something along those lines because a week before we were going to adopt a beagle named bagel from the Sarnia Humane Society but she was adopted the same day we went in to adopt her. So we found Ace (moo moo). In his new home he spent most of this time in a crate and when out of the crate he had little exercise and mental stimulation and if you know anything about northern breeds you know that they crave that and when they don't get it they become destructive. I put my everything into Ace. Everything that I would have put into Owen I put into him.

He loved to learn right from the start and in no time learned 30+ commands. At about a year old we found out he had neurological issues that caused seizures and other neurological issues but other wise he was happy and healthy. About a year ago the seizures were getting closer together he was having many a day and he was having issues with his back end. It turns out he had spinal degeneration and arthritis in his hips. Come June (6 months after this) he could barely walk, no more hiking or even walking more then a block. The vet gave him anti-inflamatories and told me this would likely be his last winter.

Even with the medications he was still having a hard time with his back end and getting around. It came to the point where he would lay there and cry. I was told giving him CBD cookies would help him so we did this but it got to the point where he had to be drugged in order to even just lay without crying. The decision had to be made for him, I needed to stop being selfish and trying to hold on to him longer just for my sake. I made the call in tears and brought him in. My vet is amazing I couldn't ask for a more gentle kind man. I held him and cried into his fur as he passed. He was no longer in pain anymore but my heart broke in two.

When we got home Bossco knew the moment we came in without Ace he was upset for weeks, even refused to eat and just moped around. Blaine lost his brother and he went over the rainbow bridge and would no longer be hurting. For weeks after Blaine would ask for moo moo or tell me he missed him.

I can't even explain the connection I had with Ace but I do know my life and my heart will never be the same.

That day in that office a part of me was lost forever.

Ace July 2017 update

Moo Moo or resident asshole as he is lovely called, is now 7 years old and my heart. I can't explain it. I love every foster that comes through, I love every dog we adopt but Ace I just love differently. He hikes with me, he knows all my moods, when something is wrong, when I need something, when I get confused and lost, he has just become my soul.

We went for our first big hike this year and afterwords I felt like the worst doggy mom in the world. It was a 12KM beautiful hike and he was having the time of his life, showing no signs of pain or anything else. Towards the end of the hike, I was lost and wondering for about 2 hours pretending I wasn't lost, attempting to find my way back to the truck. Well after 2 hours of wondering I finally said to Ace find the truck I put all my trust into him before I had to call the park rangers to come find us. I let go of his leash and followed him, within 45 minutes he led me back to the truck.

Ace is trail trained this means he knows all of my cues without me saying a word. He knows he has to stop on top of hills or inclines and wait for me and the same for declines. He knows when I need to take a break, he never pulls even once on the trails. Ace understands right and left commands, "hup" command which means up onto whatever is in front of him. He knows how to check puddles for which ones I need to go around. I am pretty sure I will never, ever own a dog like him again.

You can say its all about training, etc, etc. Its not just that, not all dogs can sense issues, not all dogs do trails well or are as willing to learn trails. Our bond is something that is just indescribable.

After our trail hike he was acting funny in the truck so I was getting him to lay down but every few minutes he was back up again moving around on the seat and then would settle for a few minutes and repeat. We stopped to visit my grandmother and he couldn't get out of the truck, I helped him down the best I could and watched him walk, he was limping very badly. He didn't fall or trip or anything on the trail. All the way home he was acting funny, at home I had to get help to get him out of the truck he could barely stand. This was a Saturday, I decided to give him rest and no walks for a few days and see how he was if he wasn't okay still I would call the vet.

I took to my other rescue friends and akita/husky owners to see what they thought, to see if their dogs had any similar issues. I was suggested glucosamine for hip care, well getting Ace to take any sort of pills is near impossible he always knows and wont eat the pill. I went into Pet Food Ware House here in town to see if I could get treats with it in them, yes I could but they gave something that might work better as it was concentrated. You just put it on their food twice a day. So I decided that I would do the same for Bossco as he is a big big boy and just better safe than sorry.

Normally when I leave without Ace he yelps and cries for a few minutes until I leave the driveway. For 2 weeks he came to the door but didn't make a sound. It broke my heart to know he was hurting. By week 3 he was yelping to come with me, getting up on the bed and couch with no issues, even licking the left over bits off the kitchen table. Week 4 he has started to play with Bossco again and run and chase the birds in the back yard. He has thankfully come back.

Ace still favours the one side often or if he gets doing to much and we have only been on one walk since and it was hard on him. Unfortunately he is getting older for his breeds, I didn't want to believe it not for a second and when I finally came to terms that my MOO, my world, my best friend wouldn't be here forever it broke me and broke my heart. I turned to the women in rescue who knew exactly what I meant when I explained my love for Ace being different than my love for the others. They told stories of their "heart dogs" and how no dog would ever place them.

I will do everything I can for Ace, but I will never ever force him to live in pain and suffering. I would never want him to live a life that he couldn't live to the fullest. Moo Moo being the way he is, high energy, active and go, go, go he gets depressed when he can't for whatever reason and if one day it becomes like that for him I will hold him as he crosses over the rainbow bridge. I will not keep him alive for selfish reason, I will not force him to endure because I don't want to hurt, or I will miss him. I will do what is best for him and only him.

My heart dog is Ace and I couldn't imagine my life without him, but for his sake one day I will have to decide that is best for him and not what is easier or more comfortable for me.

A lot of people say that you can not love an animal the way you do people, or that when you have children you will replace your dogs. Not for me, never for me, my dogs are my children even if they are only fostered for a short time. Each one deserves the same respect and love that I give my children. Do I love my kids without a second thought, but I love my dogs in the exact same way.

New moms sometimes fear their child getting hurt, dying or kidnapped, dog moms have the same fears. Fears the collar will slip while out on a walk, trying to chase a bird and they get hit by a car, or get lost and you have to search for them. It is the same fears a mom of a human child has, it is the same love, compassion and commitment to their well being as moms of human children. I know I will catch flack for this and I do on a daily basis in the mom group and that's okay. I believe those people have no idea what real unconditional love it. The love of an animal is just as the love of a child.


Give your fur babies an extra squeeze tonight, hold them a little longer for they are not here forever.