In the old days, I was Joe’s right hand man. Cosmo, the blind Jack Russell, was the other member of our posse. Together, we three were a powerful team. We spent many years together, sparring in the parlor with toys, prowling the back yard for intruders and sharing Joe’s meals with him. Joe took extra good care of Cosmo & me, even though he, himself, was struggling for nearly three decades with a disease that threatened him every day. The guy had heart. He had fight. He was the man, and we were totally devoted to him, Cosmo & me.
Fast forward to this past fall. Joe’s health became more and more of an issue for all of us. Volunteers from Damien Center would come daily to help Joe care for us, making sure we got our outs and keeping us up to date on our vetting. I’m glad they were on our team. Another round passed, and The Animal Support Project joined the team. They cleaned up our yard and rebuilt our fence so Cosmo and I could go out and exercise without Joe’s having to do more than open the door. They dropped off food and flea preventative and piddle pads and advocated for us with the family, helping them accept how important it was to Joe for our posse to remain together till the final round.
Then one night, Joe had a bad fall when we were all three alone. Like an old prize fighter, he went down and stayed down for the count. All Cosmo & I could do was stick by him on the floor, licking his hand and telling him we still believed in him. Later, in the hospital, Joe told his friends he wished doctors could take the good feeling he got from knowing we were there for him, and put it into a syringe, so it could be injected into all the people who felt they had no hope. Cosmo and I went to foster care with The Animal Support Project and Joe passed away not long after. He said he was at peace, ready to accept the next chapter, knowing his posse was in good hands. Cosmo died just a day later from liver cancer. They’re together now, no more fighting, no more pain.
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