Goodbye, Newman

Thursday was a very sad day.

My sister and brother-in-law have an English bulldog named Newman. He's the most confused, lost, and aloof animal I've ever known, and yet he's also the most lovable animal as well. He's been a part of our family for the past five years, and he's made dog lovers out of everyone in the group.

This past weekend my sister called me to tell me Newman wasn't doing well. She said last week he hadn't been his normal super friendly and sociable self. He hadn't been eating or want to go outside at all. Something was clearly wrong with him, so she took him to a neurologist for an examination.

All our worst fears were confirmed when an MRI revealed a brain tumor. The doctors said surgery was possible, but there was no guarantee they'd be able to get everything, or that the tumor wouldn't come back in a year. Obviously the news devastated us all, but no one more than my sister and brother-in-law. They had introduced Newman to us all several years ago, and I couldn't picture what life would have been like without him.

Now we'll have no choice but to go on without him. My sister had originally hoped to give him drugs to make him more comfortable for the time being until they could go forward with his surgery after her wedding in September, but she called me last night in tears. She said his condition was deteriorating quickly and she couldn't bear watching him in such pain. I had plans to visit her, my niece, and Newman this weekend so I could see him at least one more time before things got much worse for him, but it wasn't meant to be. She said she had to put him to sleep today so he wouldn't suffer anymore.

I quickly broke down on the phone with her. She felt awful for putting him down at all, but I immediately told her she was doing the right thing. Newman loved everyone in our family unconditionally, and we all loved him back. As tough as her decision was, it was the right choice. I told her we'd use this weekend to celebrate Newman's life and reminisce over our favorite memories of him.

I already know my favorite Newman story. Last year we got together for Mother's Day, and I brought a collection of pastries for breakfast while dinner was being cooked. Both my sister and I were munching on a pastry, and Newman had a taste for all things - both dog food and human food. My sister didn't give in to him, so he saw I hadn't yet finished my pastry. He walked right in front of me and knelt down, shoving his face between my legs. If Newman could speak, he probably would've said something along the lines of, "Wow, that looks tasty. You're going to give me a bite of that, right?"

I simply looked down at him and said, "Oh, NOW I'm your best friend, huh?" And no, I didn't give him a bite of my pastry.

It's funny how animals can have such effects on people. I never disliked dogs growing up, but I was never a pet lover in general either. Spending the last five years with Newman as part of the family has completely changed my perspective on pets. In fact, three years ago my family got together Christmas morning for family photographs, and my dad insisted that the family photos weren't complete without Newman included in them (his exact words: "No Newman? NO GOOD!").

There will most certainly be a void in our family without Newman. He brightened any room he was in, and simply watching him walk around made us all laugh. My niece is far too young to have any attachment to him, so I hope that in time my sister and brother-in-law will get another dog for her to play with.

Goodbye, Newman. I asked God to feed you bananas since you liked them so much. You took great care of us, and we'll always remember you.