Elvis the Dog (1991-2007)

A Tribute to a Best Friend

 

On July 10, 2007, I did one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life. My husband and I put our beloved dog Elvis to sleep. It was something we had agonized over and procrastinated about for months. But finally we had to ask ourselves whether we were delaying for Elvis’ sake or our own.

 

We took Elvis to the Humane Society clinic on Macklind, where they were very kind and very professional. They didn’t rush us as we sobbed and cried in the examining room for our last moments with the best friend who came into our lives when he was a tiny puppy almost 16 years ago.

 

It was love at first sight. No doubt about it. My husband and I first met Elvis in 1991 at a pet store in Greenville, SC. We wandered in after unsuccessfully scouring the local animal shelters for a small “apartment” dog. I had already stated my opposition to pet store dogs, but then I locked eyes with Elvis. Or, more accurately, he locked eyes with me.

 

A tiny, Cairn terrier who weighed possibly two pounds, Elvis was sharing a cage with a Pomeranian who was alternately barking and biting him in the butt. After each nip, Elvis would swing his backside away from the attacker, but never for a second lost eye contact with me. It wasn’t a desperate plea for help in his eyes. He was saying, “Hey, what took you so long.” Moments later, the saleslady put him in my arms. While Elvis began licking my chin, my husband leaned over to the saleslady and said, “Do you take credit cards?” After all, we had no money. So we bought Elvis on credit.

 

Let me say upfront that I am a dog person. I love dogs. I grew up with dogs. But this little specimen was amazing from the start. He had the determination of a terrier and a great air of confidence. Alert and smart and always game for anything, Elvis became the best friend we took everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Hiking in the South Carolina mountains, canoeing in Minnesota, spelunking in Iowa. He loved balls of any size and could chase them for hours (which he did in a variety of locations while we threw and threw and threw the ball, waiting for him to get tired). He was our first child. We never did anything without thinking of Elvis.

 

He was the kind of dog who was always by your side, and when you were sitting or lying down, he was sitting or lying down on top of you. He was the kind of dog who could win you over, even if you didn’t like dogs. He didn’t do many tricks, but he had a genuine sense of humor and great comic timing.

 

Elvis has visited and lived in more places than many people I know. The first time we moved (always with a U-Haul since we could never afford movers) Elvis staked out a place in the back of the truck as we loaded up our things, as if worried that we might forget to pack him. And that was his spot every time we moved (which was a lot). He was adaptable, never complained and was always ready to go anywhere, as long as he was with us.

 

Eating was a favorite pastime for Elvis and he could hear a plastic bag rattling or a piece of food dropping to the floor from a mile away. His favorite words were “play,” “walk,” and “ride.” Sometimes he would even jump in strangers’ cars just for the chance to stick his head out the window.

 

Elvis didn’t really slow down much until he turned 12. He wasn’t as interested in playing ball, but he still loved to go for walks and be with us. It took a lot longer than we had planned but he finally got his promised “sister” when we brought our daughter home from China. Caeli took to him quickly and loved to pull his tail and cover him with dish towels. Elvis loved that Caeli was low to the ground and always had food in her hand that usually ended up on the floor.

 

As we headed into 2007, Elvis slept most of the time. He couldn’t hear or see well and for the first time, he seemed to pull away from the family. He became grouchy and stiff and had no interest in being petted or carried. It was heartbreaking to see our beloved buddy getting so old.

 

Things went downhill for Elvis, as things like this usually do, and finally we could no longer deny that his quality of life had diminished significantly.

 

After we left the Humane Society clinic, we crossed the street to the pet memorial park, where we sat and cried and told each other funny stories of our past 16 years with a dog that meant the world to us. Fortunately there are thousands of great memories for us because he was the best dog anyone could have.