Tiger would soon be 17 years old. He and his siblings and his mom were some of the first dogs we rescued back in the early days of the Tunica Humane Society. Over the years, we have lost them one by one, but this little guy just kept on ticking.
It didn’t matter that he could no longer hear. It didn’t matter that he could barely see toward the end. He always found his way to us and planted himself at our feet.
I have spent almost a fourth of my life in the company of this dog. I vividly remember him as a puppy. I vividly remember Tiger growing up with us and all of his funny ways. In his youth, he was both people and dog selective. In the last few years, he became as gentle as a lamb.
Tiger is part of our heart and soul at the Tunica Humane Society. He represented who we are. We have always taken the most broken, the most challenging, the most hopeless and given them a place to call home.
Our home is very quiet tonight. Our hearts are very sad. This morning Tiger was his old self. Walking around our playground. Jackie and I talked about him and how we knew he couldn’t live much longer. The thought of that broke our hearts, especially after all the recent losses we have endured. By late afternoon, Tiger was down, and it was clear, he wasn’t going to be able to get back up.
Tonight, I am reminded of that country song, “Hold on for as long and as hard and as fast as you can… till you can’t.”
That would be our sweet Tiger. That’s how he lived. That’s how he will be remembered at the Tunica Humane Society.
A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Lisa Godfrey for making this so peaceful for Tiger tonight. She came out to our van so he wouldn’t be afraid. All he felt was my arms around him, as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
