My Little Peanut

He was so little. His littermates ranged from eight to ten ounces. He was just over five ounces. He fit in my hand.

He was a beautiful boy with his white collar and leg.

He was a little behind his siblings developmentally. When they were running up and down the stairs, his little legs wouldn't reach. The others loved playing on the rocks and jumping off. He would follow them onto the rocks but was afraid to climb down. We'd have to rescue him.

He got along well with the other dogs but Fudge liked to tease him. In fairness, Fudge liked to tease all the pups but Noah had a quick temper and overreacted to Fudge's actions. There was always tension between the two and I kept a close eye on them.

Noah was a mama's boy. He followed every step I took. He watched me constantly. I miss him being beside me. When I took him outside, just the two of us, he would dance and frolic like a puppy. It's hard for me to accept that he was actually an old dog. He was my puppy.

Noah was the first to get sick with cryptosperidium in 2012. He was very sick. He recovered but was left with colitis and suffered with it the rest of his life. He had a reaction to an antibiotic that left him with dry eye syndrome. Though we put ointment in his eyes daily, he lost most of the vision in one eye. His life wasn't easy.

At a checkup a couple months ago Dr B noticed a problem with his back legs. He told me he suspected a neurological issue in his spine and to keep an eye on it. Since then his back legs have gotten weaker and he would occasionally stumble.

Last week Noah didn't want to use the stairs so we started feeding him in the kitchen and walking him on leash. His back feet didn't seem to be working very well.

Monday evening Noah fell and couldn't get up. Rob would lift him while I slipped a towel under his hips to help him walk. He couldn't stand or walk on his own. He also refused to eat. Tuesday was the same. We knew it was time.

On Wednesday morning we carried him into the exam room. Dr B came in and discussed Noah's condition. He said we were doing the right thing.

I was there when Noah was conceived. I was there when he was born and I held him as he took his last breath.

He was my little peanut and I loved him.