About seven years ago, my friend e-mailed to tell me he had adopted a Rottweiler from the animal shelter near him in Tennessee. This was a big step as Don had raised Rottweilers and English Mastiffs, and after his last one passed away, he said "never again." "Never again" not because he didn't love the breed but because of the heartbreak of losing them.
I still rememeber what he said. A friend of his was in animal rescue, and she had left the shelter picking up dogs. She called Don and told him there was a young, male Rottweiler at the shelter that needed adoption quickly. Don drove down to the shelter, met the Rottweiler, but those old memories of "never again" surfaced, and he told the staff he'd think about it. He got home, and he said he thought long and hard....and three minutes later (haha) he was adopting the Rottweiler known as "Diesel."
I think Diesel was a little less than a year old or maybe slightly older than a year old, but still a big puppy.
He'd run from window to window in the house as Don was mowing the yard, watching him. When he was outside with Don, he would steal Don's work glove and take off with it.
It was a perfect match.
A couple of weeks ago, Don told me that Diesel had been diagnosed with cancer, and he didn't know the prognosis.
Last night, I received an e-mail, and it's subject line was merely "Diesel." I knew what it was going to say before I opened it. Sure enough, Diesel had been diagnosed with aggressive cancer and had less than a few months to live.
Because his quality of life was decreasing rapidly, Don made the decision to euthanize Diesel yesterday.
What joy Diesel brought into Don's life.
Rest in painless peace, Diesel pup. Say hi to Ichabod, Duke, Uno, and Tobey for me.
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