A Pomapoo, a Cruise on Lake Michigan, and the Question that Many Need Answered

Five years ago, my great aunt went into a nursing home. She had an older dog named Levi. Levi had previously been owned by an elderly woman who passed away. Naturally, I said I’d be happy to adopt

Levi, when my Great Aunt asked. Levi was definitely up for adventure and adventure is what I gave him. He lived with my 2 other dogs and 6 cats. It was a full house. He was used to calmer households. The kind senior citizens lead.

I signed him up for Nosework classes, where dogs are trained to find certain scents for treats. My other dogs were in classes and loved it so I figured it might give Levi some confidence. Dogs love to use their expert nose skills whenever possible. He was a little shy at first, but in the 3rd class, he felt comfortable and sniffed out the scents and really excelled at it.

He went on daily walks to new locations and went to the groomer along with the other dogs. He preferred not to be bathed but when he got home, you could tell he felt like a million bucks.

In the summer, he went swimming (he would have you know he was not very fond of that) and always doggie paddled right to the exit of the pool. And, he even went on a big boat, called the Canine Cruise, on Lake Michigan with one of my other dogs and me to support a pet charity. He held his nose up high to take in the lake breeze. What a lucky dog! Not too many dogs can say they sailed on one of the Great Lakes.

Everywhere he went, people asked what breed he was. I had no idea, so I collected his DNA with cheek swabs and sent it off. A month later, results showed he was a Pomapoo. He was half Pomeranian and half Poodle. Apparently, this type of mix can result in many different looks. Levi’s look was Super Cute.

At home, Levi claimed a portion of the couch. He made it known to the other dogs that they were not welcome there. But, I think they enjoyed constantly testing him because many times there was much unwanted barking, especially when trying to watch TV, as my focus was on the show and not on them.

Now, Levi couldn’t actually fight the other dogs and win because he had periodontal disease. When I took over his care, within 2 weeks, he went under anesthesia, and all the diseased teeth were extracted, and the other teeth were cleaned. By the end, he had 4 teeth left. But, the other pets didn’t know that. Levi’s bluff was all that was needed to keep them in line.

Another place I took Levi often was to the nursing home to see my Great Aunt. Other residents objected to having a dog on the premises but relented when they were told Levi’s paws would not touch the ground, and he would be carried in all the communal spaces. He wasn’t a therapy dog, but he did love and miss my Great Aunt.

About a year later, my Great Aunt passed away. We were all very sad. About 6 months after that, Levi began turning food away. He never missed a meal or a chance at a treat. Then he began vomiting, too.

He needed a CT scan for a diagnosis, but this was peak Covid. Even with my veterinary connections, I couldn’t get a quick appointment. So, we waited several long days for his scan and finally knew what was causing him to feel so badly. He had a malignant adrenal gland tumor.

He got an abdominal ultrasound to stage the cancer before surgery, but it showed it was too advanced and surgery would not cure it. Levi was becoming more ill. I treated him with palliative care until the time came for euthanasia.

The heartbreak was beyond words. I had only had him for a little under 2 years. That’s not a lot of time. But whenever I feel like one of my pets was taken from me too soon, I always come back to this question:

“If I knew what the outcome would be and how short the time would be, would I still adopt that pet?”

The answer, for me, every time is YES.

That’s how I know it isn’t about the linear time spent, although we all yearn for more time, no matter how long we’ve had our pets. It’s about what you make of the time. The impact you made on your pet’s life. The actual quality of life that you gave them.

And that is the secret. It’s how you know that this pet was supposed to be in your life, however long or short.

Levi wasn’t with me a very long time and mine was his 3rd family. But you can see all the amazing new things he did and all the fun and interesting adventures he had. We did that together. So, grieve the loss that is no longer physically with you, but never question whether you should or shouldn’t have. You should have.