[Dailydrool] Winston ATB

[Julie Stevenson]

It's been a bad year at our house. Winston has gone to the bridge. We 
got him in 2006 from people who wouldn't let him in the house because he 
was stinky. They opened a bag of Ol' Roy and threw into the yard for him 
to eat.  At the time, I was volunteering with Cascadia Basset Rescue and 
I went to pick him up from this "home". The woman relinquishing him 
offered to give me the open bag of food that was lying in the dirt. 
Naturally that "generous" offer was declined and we sped out of there. 
Needless to say when we got him, he was overweight, close to 85 lbs. He 
was so stinky we drove home with the windows open. We were told that 
Winston was 3 years old but the vet said he was probably closer to 8. So 
we split the difference and decided he was 5. Anyway, he became a very 
important part of our family. My son and Winston bonded immediately and 
they became best buddies.  The last few years he's had lots of trouble 
with his hips and we've been giving him Missing Link with glucosamine 
which has kept him pretty mobile. But seeing how much trouble he was 
having was telling me that maybe he WAS closer to 8 when we got him.

Fast forward to last week, my son noticed that Winston didn't look good 
before they went to bed. Sort of sad looking, listless and breathing 
with difficulty. I was already asleep and my son wanted to have one last 
night with Winston. So in the morning, my son put him on the floor and 
he was unable to move and peed a giant puddle right there.  We cleaned 
him up, looked in his eyes and knew it was time. We took him to the vet 
who said he was in heart failure and we gave him his wings. My son took 
it very hard and didn't come out of his room for two days. Now there is 
no one to announce the breakfast and dinner hours. Although Nutter 
Butter is trying to take over that duty, she is more of a whiner than 
the all-out bark that Winston had. We will miss him.

For anyone keeping track, Cookie went the the bridge in April; we lost 
Gramps in June, an old long haired cat we took in when he decided he 
didn't want to live across the street anymore, and now Winston. Fly free 
old man. There is no more pain. You take a piece of our hearts with you.

Julie and the Stevenson Family
Quincy and Nutter Butter the bassets
Penny the beagle
Blackie the lab
Missy the mixed thing
Puffin the black cat
Spot and Merlin the brothers
Amelia the explorer kitty