Haggis

Haggis came to me from the St. Louis Scottie Rescue in 2013. He had been caged most of his life, used as a stud dog and not treated well. He was afraid to come through a door held open for him; had no understanding of coming when called, or that someone might want to pet him. He cringed from petting attempts, would hide under a table but would finally stop, if cornered, and wait to be picked up. Once picked up and petted, you could tell he liked it.

 

Not long after I got Haggis, we took in another rescue dog, a lively three-year-old foxhound we named Homer. We like to think he taught Haggis what it’s like to really be a dog. Haggis started coming around. He learned doors were never going to hit him again, that humans only wanted to love him and he learned to really want to cuddle with his owner on a couch. It may be that he became slightly deaf as he aged as he hardly ever responded to a person’s voice, but he would come to a bell ringing. And he sure knew when it was time to eat or when the popcorn popped (of course he got a little). And he always liked running after thrown toys. He liked riding around the yard on our golf cart, going for a walk on a leash and riding in cars.

 

In his last year, we began to realize something was wrong, as he showed signs of apathy. We learned he had PLE, or protein-losing enteropathy. Our vet put him on a strict no-fat diet for his last two months and he improved back to his peppie self. But then, on the morning of Feb. 3 he ate breakfast as usual and went out with Homer in the yard to do his thing. He came in and laid down as usual by the breakfast table. But within a few minutes it was evident something was wrong. The doctor said they could take measures to alleviate the crisis, but even then his time would be limited. So we made the final decision. Haggis was peacefully euthanized Feb. 3, 2018. We have his paw print framed in plastic. He was 12 years old.