My very first picture of Oscar in 2009
I told you all last summer that my dog, Oscar, had been diagnosed with bone cancer. The vet said it was an aggressive cancer and Oscar maybe had two months. It turned out he had about twice that much time, but not nearly as much time as I wished for him and for me. He passed over the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday afternoon. I don’t know exactly what happened. I had checked on him a couple of hours earlier, but when I went back to check on him again, he was gone. Still warm, but no longer with me. It looked like his passing was eas
y. Earlier that day, my granddaughter had come to visit and Oscar had wagged his tail and been happy to have her pet him. He loved the grandkids and they loved him.
But he had stopped eating on Wednesday and I knew then he was nearing the end. I told him Thursday morning he could go on if he wanted to and I had already decided I’d have to call the vet to let him go next week. Oscar saved me having to do that, but I was still very sad. Tears fell. I had hoped to have Oscar around for a few more years. He was one of those very special dogs that just seemed to know what I was thinking and feeling.
Oscar in my office
I wrote a blog in June, My Dog Oscar, sharing about how we got Oscar and then about some of his quirks last year, Odd Dog Oscar. While he may have had some unusual ways for a dog, he was a great writing companion for me, spending a lot of time sleeping on his bed beside my desk while I tried to come up with new stories. He never wanted to roll in anything yucky here at the farm as if he knew that might keep him at arm’s length from those he wanted to be near. No other dog I’ve ever had was that sensible. He never
got skunked. Another wonderful thing for an inside dog. He liked the snow. He didn’t like the heat. So he enjoyed the air-conditioning in the summer
time.
A carpenter building a room on the back of our house accidentally ran over him and broke his back leg. So while I had planned the room as extra space to set up a table when all the family was home for holiday meals, the room instead became Oscar’s room while he healed from the surgery to repair his leg. He liked being in the room. I liked him there.
They say all good things come to an end. My time with Oscar ended a while before I wanted it to. I was hoping he would make it to ten or eleven years old at least. Instead bone cancer intruded and stole him away too early. But we had eight very good years. He 
was definitely part of the family. I do wish I’d gotten a picture of us when he would sit right in front of me and lean on my legs while I stood out in the yard talking to someone. I will remember him leaning against me, enjoying me rubbing his head. I will remember him. He was my dog.
He was part of my Facebook family too with quite the fan following from those who enjoyed hearing about him and seeing the pictures I posted as we discovered all sorts of interesting things on our treks around the farm. They loved hearing about our Sunday morning walks together. I’ll still be taking walks, but I will miss Oscar being with me. Eventually, I’ll get another dog. Not to replace Oscar. No way can I ever do that. No, it will just be a new dog with perhaps its own odd quirks and love of walking in the fields. Oscar will always go with me too – riding along tight forever in my heart.
Goodbye, Oscar. You were a very, very good dog.
Comments 57
So sorry about Oscar, Ann. I always enjoyed your stories and photos of him. Pets have such a special place in our hearts so it’s no surprise we grieve deeply when they are gone. Hugs to you.
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Thank you, Pam. I appreciate the hugs. I do miss my Oscar.
So sorry for your loss of Oscar, Ann! Sending love, hugs, and prayers.
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Thank you so much, Emily. I appreciate your hugs and love and prayers.
I am sorry to hear about Oscar. I know the hurt you feel as we had to let our Rottie go some years back for the same thing. We do our best to keep them as happy as they do for us. I know that Oscar had a wonderful life and I am thankful that you shared him with us all. I enjoyed your morning walks with him, that you shared,
He will always be in your heart. Know that I care. ((( HUGS )))
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Thank you, Judi. I know you and others who have had to let treasured pets go do understand. He did enjoy living out here on the farm with us. He was always happy except in thunderstorms or when the cows got too close.
Your thoughts on Oscar touches the heart! I can feel your love and loss as so many others do too! Sorry for your loss but I know he is in your heart. Thoughts and prayers and God Bless.
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Thank you so much, Loretta. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. They mean a lot.
Love and prayers with you and your family. It is so hard to lose a loved pet. I’m sure Oscar knew he was truly loved that’s why he saved you from having to go through the pain of putting him down. You will miss him for a long time. He sounds like a very special animal. God bless you all and Oscar is running around pain free. Love ya Ann!
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Thanks so much, Fran. I do miss him. I keep thinking I need to go check on him since I had been taking him water and treats for a while now after he could no longer get in the house because of the steps. He was too heavy for me to carry, but I did wish I could. Sorry you couldn’t make it to the book event Saturday. I would have enjoyed talking to you.
I’m a cat person but I do appreciate a good dog! So enjoyed “meeting” Oscar. Last year we lost our cat of EIGHTEEN years! It was time & he passed at home but we’re never ready for them to go, are we? Thank you for sharing Oscar wuth us.
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My sister is a cat person, Shelley, and she has a cat that is getting up there in years too. She will miss her when she has to move on. But you’re right. We are never ready, but sometimes we can know when they are ready. So glad you got to know Oscar.
I am so sorry about Oscar. We had a black lab years ago when the kids were young. Lady was the best dog with children and so gentle with toddlers. She loved everybody. She also got cancer and had to be put down finally. We tried to get another lab, but they never measured up to our Lady. Now we have a big old cat, but dogs are very special.
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I love labs for their gentle nature, Joy. But I know I’ll never get another dog like Oscar. He was one of a kind just as your Lady surely was. Dogs are special.
Ann, I am so sorry about Oscar, I so enjoyed your stories and comments about Oscar, because we also have a black Lab, her name is Molly, she is a rescue dog, she had surgery a few years ago on her paw, there was a place that would not heal…the Vet sent off some tissue and it came back cancer, but he said he got it he believed, she has since developed large knots at different points on her body, she recently stopped eating her food also, Ron fixes her pancakes which she eats, I am afraid we will be facing the same thing, she has been a great pet also. She looks very much like Oscar. Again I am so sorry for your loss.
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So sorry to hear that Molly is not doing well, Phyllis. I had been fancying up Oscar’s food with people food to get him to eat. Black labs are the best dogs. Hope Molly makes a recovery and regains her appetite.
Ann, I am so sorry about Oscar, I so enjoyed your stories and comments about Oscar, because we also have a black Lab, her name is Molly, she is a rescue dog, she had surgery a few years ago on her paw, there was a place that would not heal…the Vet sent off some tissue and it came back cancer, but he said he got it he believed, she has since developed large knots at different points on her body, she recently stopped eating her food also, Ron fixes her pancakes which she eats, I am afraid we will be facing the same thing, she has been a great pet also. She looks very much like Oscar. Again I am so sorry for your loss.
Dear Ann, I went through the same ordeal a few years ago, only it was much more sudden and unexpected … a few days, she was only 7. I feel your pain and sadness. So very sorry. Oscar will remain with you for the rest of your life and gladden your heart with wonderful memories, you share with your grandchildren. God bless you, Anne.
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It is an ordeal to lose a beloved pet and that was sudden for you, Anna. I did have a few months to get used to the idea that I was going to lose Oscar. Still didn’t want it to happen, but couldn’t change things. I will keep Oscar in my memory for sure.
No time is a right time and has many time as we say to our loved ones please stay with me forever in our world it doesn’t happen. We can pray that our great God will join us with them in heaven to never be parted and to remain in His love and the love of our heart’s dear ones. God’s blessing of tears of joy to you!
Karen in NC
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Thank you, Karen. I do think there have to be our dogs in heaven, especially for dog lovers like me. A paradise without pets would be missing something and the Bible promises we won’t miss anything there.
So sorry to read about Oscar leaving you. It is so hard to say goodbye to beloved pets. Our two cats are 11 and 15, so they won’t be around a whole lot longer 🙁
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You might have a few more years with those kitties. Some cats live longer especially when they are cared for as yours no doubt are, Margaret. It is hard to say goodbye, but sometimes we have to, Margaret.
I am so sorry Ann…that 4 months flew by since you told me he had cancer….I know you will miss him so much.
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I am missing him, Lisa. Thanks for your sweet thoughts.
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Thank all of you so much for your kind thoughts and sweet comments. I appreciate them so much. With so much going on, floods, hurricanes and fires, the loss of a pet may seem like a minor thing. In many ways it is, but we are still sad when we lose our furry buddies. There was a nice story in the paper last week about a dog in California that survived the fires. The piece said the story had gone viral on the internet so you may have already seen it. The dog got left behind when his owner, a woman with some years under her belt like me, had to evacuate and for whatever reason couldn’t get her dog in the car to go with her. Some of these people only had minutes to get in their cars and escape the wild fires. Her home was destroyed in the fire but her sons went back after the fires burned out to try to locate the dog’s body to bury it. When they got there, the house was gone, but the dog ran out joyfully to great them. It was a heavily furred dog and the experts thought perhaps that heavy coat helped it make it through the fire. Needless to say, the dog’s owner was overjoyed when reunited with her pet. A feel good story amidst all the bad news from that area.
So our pets are very important to us and I appreciate your kind thoughts and hugs for me. Bonnie and Betty, I’ll miss walking with Oscar and getting to post pictures of him. He did seem to gather friends on Facebook, Betty.
A good dog is a treasured friend for sure, Melanie. Thank you for thinking about us.
Evelyn, I’ll keep walking and sharing things I spot on my walks. Oscar will be with me in spirit. Years ago I had a Cockerspaniel that loved to walk with me, and then he got old. Poor thing would follow me out and then sit down, unable to go any farther. I eventually had to have him put down, but then the next few walks, I could almost see him back healthy and young again and running ahead and sniffing out all the critters. The only thing Jody could catch were terrapins, but he loved finding them and carrying relocating them to our yard. I always wondered how long it took the poor terrapins to find their way back to their homes.
My heart goes out to you, Ann. I will miss seeing sweet Oscar. What a gift he was to so many.
SO sorry, Ann!! I’ll miss your online comments about Oscar!! Hugs!!
Oh, Ann! I am so saddened to hear about Oscar! Because our pets become a member of the family and love us unconditionally and we so very often outlive them it’s very difficult to let them go. About three years after Katrina we had to say goodbye to our Pepper, a mixed Snauzer/Terrier, at the age of 16 due to kidney failure. Even at that age we were not ready to let her go. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you.
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Thank you, Karen. I suppose it doesn’t matter what age a furry buddy is. We still miss them when we have to let them go on ahead of us. One of my FB friends, Marji, shared this with me on my FB page. It beautifully describes the joy and sorrow of having a pet we honestly hope we’ll outlive since their lives are short compared to the average lifespan of their human owners. The joy is always the big reward. I’m sure you have great memories of Pepper.
“There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other. To those who have never lived through its turnings and walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible. Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive, our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given.” (Suzanne Clothier)
So sorry for your loss of Oscar.I loved your tales of walks with Oscar.
What a beautiful tribute to your dog, Ann. Oscar lives in your heart. Your story allows him to live in mine bringing back memories of Riley, Frisky, Rex, Duffie, Shadow, Freeway, and my sister’s dog, Pepper. They brought joy to our family.
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So sweet how you named off your many furry friends, Rebecca. I have quite a list too that could also include some dogs that belonged to my children and grandchildren. My daughter says she once saw a post or picture on the internet that showed some person getting to heaven and a big group of dogs running to meet him – all his pets through the years. A sweet picture. You and I both may have that sort of reunion. For me, there’s Ollie, Blue, Buster, Jody, Max, Dub, Amber, Bessie, Bo, Tate, to name a few. And now Oscar. Thank you for your comment.
Oh Ann, I am so sorry about Oscar. Please know that I am thinking about you and your family. Our for legged friends are treasures.