The day is here it has finally come; the inevitable has
arrived. My miracle dog Bruno of 13 years will make his debut over the rainbow.
We get to do it our way and ensure a comforting yet healing departure. He’s not
just a miracle dog. He has been my therapist through struggles, the protector
of our family, the mediator during arguments, and so much more. Anyone who
comes in contact with him can’t help but to love him. Take the most profound non-animal
lover and place them around Bruno. Guaranteed they are leaving with a new heart
for a dog like him. He wasn’t always that way though. Any dog owner will tell you;
puppy stage is rough.
I can still remember when my sister sent me a CraigsList
listing of puppies, she had no business sending me. She knew I didn’t want any
pets as I had just received keys to a new apartment. She also knew I would click
that link and do it despite what I said. What can I say? She was right. Once I
clicked, an adorable picture of 3-day old boxer puppies popped open. I went on
to read that they were located in Auburn, about 20 minutes from my apartment. The
mom was a very large boxer rescue that happened to be pregnant. They were
unsure of the father but did see a sighting of a border collie male nearby. I
thought, “well I’ve already clicked the link, I might as well go see them and
just look.” So, I called my sister and we drove down.
Upon arrival, we saw black and white long-haired female
puppies on the apartment living room floor, and brindle short haired boys. I immediately
gravitated towards two of the boys who looked fairly similar with similar temperaments.
The only distinguishing mark that set these two apart from each other was a white
mark around the nose. At that moment I knew I wasn’t going to be able to leave
that apartment without first making sure that puppy with the white mark around
his nose would be mine. I didn’t come ready with a deposit because remember? I
was “just looking.” So, I asked my sister to help spot me some of the deposit
since she was the reason I was there, and we made it happen. Mind you I was 21 years old at the time and had no grasp or comprehension on what type of long-term
decision I was making. But I knew it was my decision to make and there were no
return policies or dog pound drop offs in my eyes.
Seven more weeks went by before I finally went to officially
pick him up with my mom and brother. I never researched the do’s and don’ts with
puppies, so the first couple of nights he cried, I went and laid with him. That
quickly became uncomfortable, so we moved to the bed. That soon became a habit for
the both of us. The mom guilt struck almost immediately each time I had to
leave for work, so I would give him free range of the apartment. You can imagine
the destruction a puppy can do in just a few hours flat. I left that apartment with
no deposit returned in addition to owing an additional $1,100.00 for baseboards,
carpet, doors, and porch (yes, he chewed on the porch). I learned quickly what
not to do after that, but also if he gets through that front door to outside, we are now
playing a 30-minute game of tag.
Around 1 year of age was Bruno’s first miracle. I was
walking him alongside Redondo Boardwalk with my now sister-in-law when he went
to the crosswalk and was struck by a car. I watched his body slide from one end
of the road to the other. In that split second, I thought for sure he was dead.
I didn’t realize how many other people watched it happen as well. They soon all
began to crowd around us to check if he was okay. Surprisingly, Bruno got up and
walked over to me. The driver was extremely apologetic and we exchanged
information. We quickly got him to the car, and I drove him to the emergency vet.
They assessed him and explained how lucky he was that the only injuries he sustained
was road rash. I counted my blessings that day and knew a miracle had just occurred.
That same year I met my now husband. He couldn’t believe how well I treated
what he would call a “bad dog.” But he couldn’t say anything because Bruno was
mine. Another year past when he moved in and felt like it was time he finally
put his foot down about the dog. Since Bruno’s shenanigans continued, he gave
me the ultimatum; him or the dog… Well folks, I think we all know what decision
I made. Nonetheless he stayed too and they grew to be best friends as Bruno matured
into a well-behaved dog.
He was only a few years old when he received his first
cancer diagnosis. We removed some small tumors and prayed for the best. I was
aware cancer was prevalent in Boxers, but for now he was my walking miracle yet
again. Eventually we bought our first home and during the searching process, he
was with us in the car each time we went to look. He now had a fenced backyard
and soon gained a Beagle sister we named Lucy. Life continued to evolve for our
family and during our miscarriage and birth of our first daughter, Bruno
remained caring in nature. He was never upset about the new additions, as long
as he still got his butt rubs. Shortly after our first daughter was born, we
made the decision to sell our home and move into something more fitting for our
disabled daughter. The interim time was chaos. We had just moved into a temporary
rental when I found out I was pregnant with our second daughter. The pregnancy
was extremely tough for me and each day was survival. It was at this time when
Bruno became extremely sick, and we were told he had a large cancerous mass in
his chest that was inoperable. They gave him weeks to maybe 3 months if we were
lucky for him to live. I made the hard call and scheduled for an in-home euthanasia.
We cried and cried not wanting to let him go but knew it was out of our hands. As
if life wasn’t hard enough, that same week my daughter had a prolonged seizure
that needed rescuing and emergency services. I called 911 and we took a trip to
the hospital. I can still remember on the way to the hospital, sharing with the
paramedic that I had just found out I was pregnant, but also needed to put my
dog down, and look for a house for my disabled daughter. Poor guy didn’t know
what to say. But this incident was how Bruno was saved. We had to stay in-patient
with our daughter and cancel Bruno’s death appointment. I told them over the
phone that once we were discharged, I would call back to reschedule. Can you
guess what happened? Once we got home, Bruno was completely fine as if nothing
had ever happened. No more shaking or panting in pain. No more accidents around
the house and he was eating again. So, I never called back.
That gave us 3 additional years. Three years to process and
to know what’s coming. But also, three years to soak up each additional day
with him. You could see as time went on that his body was slowing down on him. One
thing the vet always told us, was that he had a strong heart. They believe that
is what kept him going. They don’t know why the tumor never ruptured as they
predicted, but we do know he’s lived through miracles before. Bruno has been
with us through some tough times and also experienced some pretty great
milestones too. Now it’s our turn to be there for him and let him know it’s
okay to go. He doesn’t need to suffer for our family; we will be okay. His aura
of love, ability to tune into your emotion, with a face that can speak volumes,
that’s the type of connection he had with people. That’s Bruno’s legacy of love
he is leaving behind.
7/29/2012 - 11/14/2025
