This is a true story, and it makes me sad to write this, but I have to.
Almost a year ago, I had to let my best friend go, even though I did not want to do it. It was hard, very hard, but I had some good people around, and my girlfriend helped me get through it.
When I say best friend, I mean my dog Bruce! Yes, dogs are man's best friend, and it sucks to let them go, specially when they've only been with you for about an year.
We adopted him from the animal shelter when he was only a few weeks old. We were so happy, and he was such a cute little stray dog. I love dogs, my mom and sister not as much as me.
I named him Bruce, after Bruce Wayne a.k.a Batman.
Struggles
Growing up, he went through a lot of problems. Within a few days of adopting him, he caught a very bad cold. He wouldn't eat properly and would just lay around.
After weeks of treatment and several visits to the vet, he was cured. Bruce was very playful, and naughty. He liked to sleep on the bed, jump around, run around the house for no reason, and was a bright light of joy.
I have included a few pictures of him below;
His troubles did not stop with the cold. After just two months, he broke his thigh bone. While playing around the house, he must've hit into something or fallen from a chair or bed. Like I said, he was very naughty.
The vet discovered that Bruce had a hairline fracture on his thigh. This got worse as he wouldn't sit quietly in a place. We thought it was getting better, but actually it got worse. He was bedridden for almost three months. He couldn't move from his place, he would pee and poop just sitting down. He couldn't move his hind legs.
However, he did not give up. We gave him medicines and what not, which sort of healed the fracture. The damage was done though.
Three months of not moving around and staying in one spot alienated him and he turned into a very scared dog. Eventually, after trying to get up and move around his spot, he was able to walk and run again, but his hind legs were thin and bent.
Back to Normal...?
For a few months, it was all normal. He didn't get sick anymore, and he started to gain strength in his hind legs. It was still bent outwards and he had a very different style of walking and running.
Almost 6 months later, he started getting a little aggressive and barked a lot. As time passed, he got even more aggressive, but he was scared.
We took him to the vet and he suggested that we get him neutered, as according to him, the aggression was due to frustration of not having any mates. But nobody was really sure.
It Got Worse, and It was very scary to have him around.
After a while, things worsened. He would randomly attack my aunt or my sister and sometimes even me. Like he would run up to us in anger, bark, and then calm down. It was getting difficult to walk around the house.
At one point, he wouldn't allow my sister to come out of her room without him running towards her in anger. My sister and mom were really scared of him. She would ask me to take him back to the shelter. And after several such random attacks, no bites yet, I took him back.
I couldn't keep him for long at the shelter, and decided to bring him back. He was very happy to see me, and I was too. I remember having a tear in my eye when I saw him at the shelter. I loved him too much, I still do.
Getting him back was a mistake though, as his condition did not improve. He attacked and bit me three times, two of which were very bad. He bit my face and tore my lower lip in half and once he bit my hand and his tooth just missed a major vein.
He bit my sister twice, and my mother once. He had to go, even though I did not want to let him go. If I was living alone, I'd live with him, I'd try to make him better. But, that wasn't the case.
Letting him GO!
My mom called the Animal care folks and had him taken back to the shelter while I was out of station. I came back to sadness, I did not speak to anyone for almost a week. It was like I lost a brother, a close one.
I had to make peace with it though, as Bruce, however cute he was, was a menace and danger to everyone in the house. One minute he'd be all playful and fine, he'll cuddle with you, and the next, he'd just growl and try to bite you. It was really scary, there was no freedom for us, and we slept with an eye open.
To this day, I think about him and wonder what he's up to. I wonder if he's gotten better. I haven't gone to see him at the shelter, because I know I'd bring him back.
I promise, this is the last time I'm writing anything sad on Steemit. I just had to get this off my chest. I miss you Bruce, I will always love you. I hope you're happy and well. Peace out bro!