My childhood dog was strong, I remember asking my parents for a dog when I was three. It took forever for them to say okay, when they finally did my parents went to the local shelter. My dad and step mom picked up a german shepherd mixed with a lab, he was a large dog around three years old. His name was Rusty. He was always playful even if we left on vacation and came back two weeks later. He would always knock me over when we walked in from vacation. The strength this dog had was amazing. In 2002 my father got in a car crash, he had a head injury for a few years. Rusty was great he always watched my dad and was great comfort for all of us. As Rusty got older, more health problems have form, at the age 11 we noticed he had fatty tumors forming at random areas on his body, there was a fatty tumor, the size of a softball that was right on his neck under his jaw.We took him to the vet and we could hear his nails hitting the old 1990s tile, the vet told us that removing a fatty tumor that size would be dangerous, and that the fatty tumors weren't hurting him.
When we moved onto Dixie Lake, four days before Christmas, in my freshman year. He would walk on the ice with me and play around in the yard with me,I was ice skating with him when it was windy and about 17 degrees, I fall and yell for him and he run up freaking out, he would get his face right next to mine, he 15 years old running on the ice to come to my rescue. I remember when Rusty went to attack a rabbit, the rabbit kicked his butt. The little rabbit bit off the black part of his paw. He had to wear an ACE wrap so he would leave it alone, he also had to wear a cone so he couldn’t take off the ACE wrap. Rusty also has bad hips and when his paw was all better he ran around like a puppy wanting a treat. Until he fell and hurt his hip. He didn't move. My sister and I took his chain and helped him get up and we held him up until we knew he had it. The strength he had to get right back up after falling onto his old little hips was amazing.
The week before the last day of my sophomore year, I came home from school, Rusty wasn’t as happy and joyful as he normally was. He didn't get up to welcome me home. I had known that he hasn’t been eating his food and didn’t really want to go outside. Around dinner time I could hear him making a weird noise. When we all walking into our wood flooring living room we saw him throwing up but he didn’t move away he was laying in his puke. We knew something wasn’t right, he hadn’t eaten anything there was nothing for him to puke. The next day I got a text message during 5th hour, my sister was picking me up, as I ran to her car it started to pour rain, I was soaked when I got into her jeep. I then felt my phone vibrating, it was my dad calling. “Kelsey I have some news, your sister is going to drive you to the vets office.” He paused for a minute “Rustys not doing to well, I’ll see you soon” then all I could hear was his line disconnected. When we got to the vets office I could hear all the other animals, dogs barking and birds chirping. I walked into a small closet like room, I could feel the tears begin to fall, my father, my step mom and my sister and I waited the fear of losing my best friend, scared me, when the doctor walked into the small wood paneling room he had rusty behind him on a gray, cold looking cart, as my dad helped get rusty on the floor, the doctor stated slowly to my parents “rusty has organ failure” as we all tried not to cry we watched rusty jumped up, and walked over to us wagging his tail, he seemed so happy. The strength he hide to get up and come over to us after not moving for the last few days was amazing, then he walked over to the door. Once I opened that door I could tell that, he just wanted to go to the bathroom and to get out of the vet office. My dad walked over to me and said “He’s a fighter and we all love him very much.”
After we got him home we all stayed with him, It was a hot spring night. That night I couldn't sleep, I could hear my brothers video game through the white bedroom wall. As I slowly walked into his room he looked at me. He got up and hugged me, “you have to be strong for him, I know its hard; I love him as well.” When he did he showed strength, he showed that when the worst comes, strength is the answer. The next day when I came home everyone was at the house. They all were around rusty, my sister hugged me and she whispered in my ear "Its time." He was in so much pain I could see it in his brown eyes, most of his strength was gone. Yet he still gave me a kiss goodbye. And that little kiss on my cheek was gross, all I could smell was his bad dog breath. But that kiss was the goodbye; that was needed. As my parents drove him to the vet, 30 minutes later we got the call, he had passed away. And he would be cremated. Rusty showed strength when we all didn't have it, he showed love when needed most. He was 17 years old, to me he showed not to give up and strength is not in health, its in hope, and believing.