I saw the posting for the puppies for sale and had to have him. I already had Gidget who is ½ Scottie and she is a wonderful, loyal, loving dog.
The day Jock was to arrive from Edmonton, I drove to Prince George to get him and he did not show up. I frantically ran from one place to the other until someone finally took the time to look up his flight and found that he had not made his connection in Vancouver. I waited another 2 hours and by the time he got there he had been in the crate for nearly 12 hours. I was so worried about the poor wee guy and took him out. The first thing he did was lick my face!
As it turned out he was not well, had coccidiosis and giardia both. I immediately had to start shoving medicine into him and that lasted for several weeks.
He never seemed to mind, just maintained his loving attitude.
Next was the “Scottie cramp” which I am sure the breeder also knew he had when he sold him to me. It shows almost seizure-like, is caused by stress and the dog has to be picked up and cuddled and reassured. Recovery is almost immediate.
This guy was my shadow. He followed me from room to room and laid on the couch at night with his head in my lap. He was super possessive and did not want the other dogs near. Eventually, his attitude got to be too much and I had him neutered before he was 2 years old. He became a much better companion and went everywhere with me in the car. He only wore a collar when in the car in case we needed to get out and that would call for a leash, so he would get all excited and run to the door where his collar hung and wait for it and then away we went. He would stand on the passenger seat with his front feet on the dash and occasionally get thrown down so I bought an SUV for him in January. Then he could sit in the back and look directly out the window. He was quite proud of his new car and woe to anyone that stepped too close. I started calling him the “Scottweiler.”
Around Easter he started to slow down and I thought he was just growing up. All about the same time I noticed him licking at the ground outside and then that his gums were pale.
I took him into the vet and they suspected he had been poisoned and put him on a Vitamin K drip. His bloodtest came back as positive for “Coombes,” an autoimmune disease which is rare, has little known about it and is almost always fatal. He was put on steroids and I brought him home for the weekend. He did not do well and was back and on chemotherapy the next week.
He died on April 18th.
It is over 4 months later and I still cry almost every day for that little dog. I only got to have his love for 2 ½ years when I thought to have it for many. I still expect him to run to the door to get his collar and go with me. I look for his smiling face in the car window when I come out of the stores. the car is so empty and I can't seem to take another dog in it with me. I have his favourite blanket put away. I have a huge hole in my heart and life where he used to be and I don't think it will ever be filled. I loved that dog so. Nobody said life was fair.
I have sold puppies to many people who are being owned for the first time by a Scottie, but I have had a lot of people this year buy pups from me and say they have had Scotties for years and will never have another breed.
I have had people say they don't know what they would do if they lost their beloved Scottie, but we know they will eventually. I don't know if it would have been less painful to lose my best friend after many years or only a few. I only know the loss of him is still almost intolerable.
Rest in Peace brave little dog.
You would have been 3 years old today.
Jock ~ August 26th 2007 ~ April 18th 2010
