The kind, caring veterinarian at Laurel Veterinary Clinic in Broomfield tried to prepare me for what could happen.
While being put to sleep, dogs sometimes whine and appear to try to fight the medicine as it runs through their veins.
“But most times, they go limp and go peacefully,” she told me.
Edgar, our 14-year-old Lab mix, had been in a fast decline. Suddenly, his legs couldn’t hold up his body. He stumbled or walked at a slant and sometimes just fell down. His final trip to the vet confirmed a tumor had been growing.
The night before, I told my three young children the next day could be Edgar’s last. I suggested they say goodbye.
Tears exploded over the dinner table. One daughter pushed away her meal, running to her bedroom to draw get-well cards.
“I’ve known him my whole life,” she said through tears.
My youngest wept openly, and demanded that I wouldn’t let “them” take Edgar.
Musician Paul Simon wrote “Mother and Child Reunion” after putting down his family dog with the line: “I can’t for the life of me remember a sadder day.” He was so right.
Like many couples, my wife and I got a dog as a trial run for parenthood. We bought him in July 2001 from a breeder in rural El Paso County whose Australian shepherd purebred had canoodled with the neighbor’s black Lab.
We named him after the Seattle Mariners’ Edgar Martinez, who in 2001 was one of baseball’s best players The dog ended up being a lot better than the team over the years.
It is easy to look at Americans’ love for their pets with dismay. There are pet chiropractors, acupuncturists and psychologists. Dogs l0unge in brewery taprooms, crowd our trails and are everywhere in parks.
Americans will spend $60.6 billion on their pets this year, on everything from food and medicine to boarding. Even dog swimming pools and artisanal dog food are available.
It is easy to scoff at everyone else. But when it is your dog, you defend the excess.
In Edgar’s early life, he dined solely on all-natural, raw food. (Later, it was a bag from Costco).
He graduated obedience school, was walked daily and taken to dog parks regularly.
Then kids came along, and the family dog lost some of his ranking. But he was a sweet, gentle soul while kids climbed over him and yanked his fur and ears.
Really, is there anything better than a dog? They are silent companions, never judging, arguing or demanding. Always loving.
Writer Nora Ephron wrote: “When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.”
I will miss the greetings, the furious tail-wagging and celebratory prancing. I will miss seeing Edgar submarine dive along the couch, rubbing his head and shoulders in a ritual I will never understand.
In the end, pain took that away, and euthanasia was the only humane treatment.
As Edgar lay on the vet’s floor nibbling treats, assistants prepared for the injection.
The vet wondered if I would stay with him. Some people cannot bear it, she said. I can understand. But I stayed, petting him while she pushed the syringe.
Edgar did not go quietly.
As medicine coursed in his veins, he lurched and struggled.
Then my 14-year-old friend let out a howl.
The vet, worried about my reaction, expressed concern.
But I knew what it was. Edgar was thanking me for a good life. My quiet pal was saying his final goodbye.
E-mail Jeremy Meyer at jpmeyer@denverpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: jpmeyerdpost
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