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Hi, my name is Craig and I adopted Random from Doberman
Rescue on November 13,1997. He was approximately three
years old. I lost him to melanoma cancer on May 4, 2005.
I relocated to Colorado from New Jersey in the fall of
19997. One particular November Sunday morning, I
discovered an advertisement from Doberman Rescue in the
classifieds. As I had lost my first Doberman in March of
1996, I decided to call the number in the ad. After the
customary introductions, Chuck informed me that he had
no dogs available. However, during the interview, Chuck
did inquire into the behavior, temperament, and wtcetera,
of my previous dog. He told me that he would call me
when he had a dog available. Two days later, Chuck
called to inform me that he had a dog that he thought
would be perfect for me. As Chuck’s home was near my
place of business, we agreed that I would stop by on my
lunch hour.
On Wednesday, I drove to Chuck’s home. Upon entering the
home, three Dobermans came racing towards me. Never
having any fear, Chuck and I began our conversation.
During our conversations, the black dog placed his head
against my right leg. Without thinking, I began to pet
the dog’s head while we continued talking. Finally, I
asked, “Which dog is it?” Chuck’s reply: “The one with
his head against your leg!” Needless to say, I had a
Doberman again. It was Chuck’s belief that Random had
been abused and was afraid of being left behind. On
Saturday morning, Random came home with me.
About a week later, Chuck called to see how we were
doing. I told him his adoption fee was way too low for
such a great dog. Random vetted out a healthy dog except
for broken cartilage in his right ear. He had apparently
undergone major surgery to his left shoulder as
evidenced by scarring.
We were now inseparable. He came with me to the office,
went with me visit friends, and took Sunday morning
walks on the creek trail where folks would remark that
he was a beautiful dog. His “Poor pathetic me” look
earned him treats from the receptionist at the office
and my friends. His “Please pet me” look usually got the
girls hugging and petting him, when this occurred, he
would purr like a cat. What he loved to do most was ride
in the truck. He would ride shotgun and would move over
to sit behind the wheel when I made a 7-11 stop to
purchase a Good Humor strawberry ice cream on a stick,
Randy’s favorite treat.
About a year later. I moved back to New Jersey. Of
course Random came with me. During the cross-country
trips, the hotels we stayed in treated him (not Me) like
a VIP!. In New Philadelphia, Ohio, the hotel staff
prepared a special chicken dinner for him at no
charge!!. In Allamchy, NJ, he was given his own
full-size bed! Hey, what about me? In New Jersey, he
became the companion of Shadow, my parent’s boxer> My
mom taught them both how to wave! He had a girlfriend,
Missy, my friend’s Black Lab. He was tolerant of my
friend’s Doberman puppy, who we referred to as Baby
Random.
In November 2003, Random was diagnosed with IVDD
(invertebrate disc disease). Which affects the spine. He
began to slow down. As the disease progressed over time,
he would stumble and sometimes fall. He would need
assistance to get into or out of the car. No longer
could he jump in the truck. He could no longer carry
himself proud an stoic, but no matter, we were still
inseparable. People continued to remark, “There isn’t
any doubt that Random is your dog”. During one of our
play sessions in March of this year, I discovered a
growth under his tail. The growth was oozing blood. The
local vet diagnosed the growth as melanoma. Te tumor was
surgically removed but the lab results indicated that
the tumor was malignant! In late April, Random was
having a difficult time walking and favored his right
hind leg. Ex-rays revealed a spinal lesion and a tumor
pressing on his bladder, restricting urination and bowel
movement. We put Random on human bladder muscle
inducement medication. This seemed to help to some
degree. Walking became more difficult for him, as did
his efforts to relieve himself. On May 2nd, he visited
his girlfried Missy for the last time. On May 3rd, I
took off from work to be with my dog. He needed to be
carried outside to urinate and could only lick ice cream
from my fingers. He had not had a bowel movement for
three days and required morphine.
A dog’s love for its Master is unconditional and without
question. Sadly, there comes a day when the Master, by
an act of mercy, must return the love. On the morning of
May 4th, with the help of a blanket under his abdomen
for support (he could no longer walk), I carried him the
lat remaining yards to my car, drove him to the vet
hospital, and with the help of a hospital attendant,
carried him into the hospital. At 9:15 AM, I lost my
friend. For the first time, I left Random behind, where
he waits for me at the rainbow bridge. |
