Babe

There was this movie, Beethoven, that came out I think in the late 1980's. It stared a heart warming, lovable Saint Bernard. From the moment my brother laid eyes on the dog, he knew he had to have one.  It took some convincing on his part to get my parents out to a breeder to see a few dogs.  And in one of these little crates as the most softest, cutest, sweetest puppy you would ever have seen.  She immediately rolled over for, what became known as, a "Tummy Rub".  My brother, who was 13 at the time, picked her up and never put her down.  You could see the thoughts racing through my parents head as they tried to figure out a way to say "no" but the more they got to know the pup, the harder it became to do so and so, within a few hours, we were on our way home with our newest member of the family.

I remember being in the back seat of the Van, my brother in the middle with the dog, and everyone was throwing up names for her.  "Princess" "Killer" "Shadow"... but nothing seemed right.  She was too darn cute for some and others just didn't fit.  Now, I don't remember who came up with the name (most likely my mother) but "Babe" was suggested and, without hesitation, "Babe" became her name.

She was a BIG puppy!!  For only being a few months old, she dwarfed some of the older dogs on the block.  We didn't have a fenced in yard at the time, so each of us had to take turns walking her and taking her out back to play.  Eventually, when it got warmer out and she didn't want to come in, she would use her size against me and plop herself right onto the ground and wouldn't get up.  This was both hysterical and irritating at the same time. I either had friends I wanted to go play with or homework to do.  In either case, there was no moving this gigantic puppy.  A few months ago, I would have been able to pick her up and carry her into the house, but Babe grew quickly and soon she had it one over me. 

Babe grew to be an enormous dog!  She was the largest dog in my town and everyone know of her, about her and had, in one way or another, met her.  She was a gentle giant.  As she grew, the normal troubles of a dog that large began to plague her. Hip displaysia caused her to go down fast.  My mother recalls watching her outside, saw her slip down the hill and knew instantly when she got up that she had injured herself.  From that day forward, she began to put all her weight onto the other, uninjured leg.  This was fateful for her because the other leg just could not support the weight of her.  After a year of x-rays, treatments and pain killers, at the age of 7, she was brought into the Animal Hospital for another look. 

I was at work as a teller just starting my career in the banking industry when I got a call from my brother. "Lisa" he said "We're going to have to put Babe down tonight".  I just about dropped the phone. "Her hip is unrepairable" he continued. "We're going to wait until everyone can get here and say good-bye.  She is comfortable now".  I remember hanging up the phone with a sense of denial.  This wasn't real. No, Babe would last forever.  But sure enough, as I made my way to the Animal Hospital, the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks.  My Mother, Father, Brother, Aunt and myself were all there for her and taken to a large room where they'd bring her out to us.  We all stood in the hallway, waiting for her.  As they brought her around the corner, she lifted her head instantly when she saw us, her tail wagging quickly.  She was strapped down yet she struggled to get up.  As we all gathered with Babe in the room together, she tried so hard to get up; wanting to come home with us.  This wasn't to be.  The nurse gave us a few moments to be with her. And there we stood, trying not to cry as we didn't want to upset her.  My brother stood at the top of the stretcher with her gigantic head in his arms. I stood next to him, with my arms around her torso and my parents stood on the other side with their hands gently petting her to calm her fears. 

When it came time for everything to happen, it happened very fast.  The nurse did what she had to do and soon, she fell asleep in our arms.  Everyone she loved the most was there. My Aunt stayed in the hallway as she could not stand to see an animal be put down.  And we all cried for her. To this day, we cry for her.  She was a beautiful, loving animal that will never be matched. Her heart was the size of the universe and I pray that we meet again, across the Rainbow Bridge.