I decided to add this to my short stories too. It is a bit long for a poem.

Ziggy’s Last Ride

11/24/2008

Our Big Boy Ziggy took his last ride and died today.

Oh how very hard it was to see him go away.

As we drove him to the Vet to get a shot,

It was a choice we had to make and it really hurt us a lot.

Riding in the car he was very quiet,

it was not like him to act like that.

He laid on the seat and didn’t look out,

I think he knew what his last ride was all about.

When we got there he didn’t want to get out of the car

because he feared his trip would be very far.

He was quiet and obeyed as he always did

It felt to us like we would be losing our wonderful kid.

He was getting old and got very sick

Rather than take him there I would have

chosen for me to be beaten with a stick.

It was something we had to do

for our sweet dog, so his suffering would be through.

It was so hard to see him go from an energized dog to

not able to eat and just lay around.

Not even wanting his favorite yummy ham.

He was just waiting for his time to come

and didn’t want either Bob or me near.

That was not like our Big Boy we held so dear.

His actions let us know he was ready to die

because he wouldn’t even look us in the eye.

His love for Bob gave him get up and go.

When Bob said let’s go for a ride he was always ready to go.

I hoped he would die at home so we wouldn’t have to choose

the time and place where his life he would loose.

I guess it was meant to be that way

He was so big we would have had a hard time taking him away.

I had talked to him a few times before

telling him we would love him forever more

and that it was ok to leave us behind,

because we would join him another time.

I told him he was going to go be with God in Heaven above

and his dog daddy Luger would be waiting at the golden gate

to once again give him all his love.

The vet told him what a good boy he had always been

and he was always a good dog friend.

He said he was the best patient he had ever had.

That made Bob I feel very glad,

to know other people knew what a great dog we had.

The girls in the office told him their goodbyes

and some of them had tears in their eyes.

Bob and I were crying a lot of tears

and telling him we enjoyed having him in our lives

for the past ten years.

He was a wonderful dog and everyone said he was beautiful and smart.

He was all of those and he had a good heart.

When he took his last breath we were petting him

and letting him know he wasn’t alone

and giving him a lot of love to take with him to his new home.

It was very hard to say our last goodbyes

as we looked at a stare in his blank eyes.

Oh what a sad day it was to lose our dog we loved so much.

Bob went to pick up our Ziggy’s ashes two weeks later.

The sadness we felt wasn’t any better.

I was going to ride along

but decided that he would want do like they had always done

and take a ride with his Daddy Bob alone for his last ride home.

We shed some tears as we held the small tin box that contained

our precious boy with his silly name. Things just wouldn’t be the same.

I called him Ziggy Wiggy a lot and he would wag his tail

and look at me, while probably thinking what a silly mom can she be.

We looked at the print they had made of his paw,

It was so sweet they thought of it all.

They said it was the biggest paw print they had ever made.

That’s our Big Boy showing us his uniqueness will never fade.

When spring time comes and the ground is thawed

he will be buried alongside his dog daddy Luger

so they will be close forever and all.

That dog of ours was more special than many knew.

He could speak some words as plain as me or you.

He could say I want out. Mom, Bob, Hi, and Hello,

and about three weeks before he died he said I don’t know.

Bob asked him if he wanted out and he said I don’t know.

He was mocking me because I often say to Bob oh I don’t know.

Bob said if I hadn’t heard him say that with my own ears

I would have said you are lying my dear.

Our Big Boy was extremely smart

and wanted lots of love and attention

and gave it back too straight from the heart.

Bob and I thought last summer would be his last swim.

But he left me a funny memory to remember him.

He was chicken and would never dive into the pool,

Though his daddy dog Luger used to try to get him to.

Last summer, I was in the pool floating around

And he was making barking sounds

as Bob was going to dive in as he always did.

Ziggy stood on the side waiting for Bob dive in just like an excited kid.

As Bob jumped I told Ziggy go get Bob and he dove in for the very first time.

That was his surprise of once in a lifetime

to leave a good memory instilled in our minds.

He almost jumped on me. Bob was under water and didn’t get to see.

He only got to see him swim to the side.

I laughed so hard I almost cried.

I was proud of him and gave him praise

for the wonderful surprise he gave us that day.

He left us with a funny summer memory to last a long time.

I think he knew what he was doing for his final swimming time.

Oh how special his memory is indeed and in our hearts he will always be.

Copyright © Judith Pleasant 12/15/2008