Brutus passed away last night. I had noticed that he had not been feeling well for a week. He was getting sick about once and day and wasn't eating that much. I had told Kevin that Brutus didn't look well and on Saturday, Brutus hardley moved at all. Sunday it was worse, he wouldn't eat and could barely walk. We took him to the vet on Monday morning and the vet told us that he was suffering from severe kidney failure and there was very little that could be done. Anything that could be done would just be putting a band aid on the the problem. We decided that it was Brutus's time but we took him home so Faith could say her goodbyes. We were going to take him back to the vet the next day to put him to sleep but Brutus passed during the night. He was at peace and at home.
Brutus was my dog. After we got married, Kevin thought I needed a dog even though I didn't really think so. He had seen Brutus first. He had for some reason gone to visit some old friends and there he saw Brutus and he fell in love with him. The breeder had asked if Kevin had wanted Brutus so Kevin asked me and I told him no, I wasn't ready for a dog. A few months passed and the breeder contacted Kevin and told him that they were moving and needed to find a home for Brutus. Kevin convinced me to go and see him and of course I feel in love with him also, so we went home that night with Brutus.
Brutus got his name from the breeder. He was the runt of the litter and had a problem with his leg. But at just a few months old, we were told that he had gone after a much larger dog just like he was the big dog. Since he was so brave for such a little dog, the breeder called him Brutus.
I had told Kevin that when Brutus came home with us, that dog was going to sleep in a crate or box and for no reason at all was he going to sleep in our bed. Well, Brutus was already spoiled. That first night, I put him in a box that had a nice soft blanket and we went upstairs to bed. We lived in an loft apartment. The apartment was basically one giant room. The second we turned out the light, Brutus started whining and his whining turned into barks. We tried everything to get him to be quiet but nothing worked except putting him to bed with us and that is how our dog started to sleep in our bed.
Brutus was a very good dog. As a puppy he loved to play and he was always so happy. He was very good with children. If you laid down on the floor, he would come and start licking you on the face and the ears. Kevin's nephew used to love that. He also liked other dogs as well. When Kevin's brother Lonnie got his Yorkie, Brutus and Gizmo would chase each other around the house and they would "fight" with each other until they both wore themselves out. And he still liked the big dogs also. When we lived in Marion, AR, he would go outside and "talk" to the big dogs on the other side of the fence.
Brutus was our baby till our kids were born. When I was pregnant with Faith, I was put on bedrest at the end. I would sit in our recliner during the day and Brutus was right there beside me the whole time. It was very comforting. When Faith was born, he wasn't jealous. He would just stay out to the way but would come and cuddle with her every once in a while.
Brutus liked me the best. He always came to me when he wanted something. There were things that he would do that would drive me crazy. Like when we lived in the apartment in Hermitage, he would always wet on the floor and if he pooped inside, it was always in Faith's room and then later on it was in John Derrick's room. He didn't always sleep in bed with us just when it was cold and he wanted down, he would wake me up whining and I would have to put him down on the floor. Sometimes he wouldn't leave you alone until till you gave him what you wanted and sometimes there was no telling what he wanted. He also learned how to escape out of our backyard and people from 1/2 a mile down the road would call and say that they found him, scratching on their front door. Those were the times that I thought he was trying to escape John Derrick and find a new home.
John Derrick never realized how old Brutus was. He would try to play with him and Brutus was too old to play. John Derrick sat on him and pulled his tail and would cover him with a blanket but Brutus never snapped at him even though he needed it. Brutus just found himself a hiding place in our closet and there he stayed most the day.
I am going to miss Brutus. He was a good dog and he was my dog. The house feels empty. I kept expecting to see him in our closet curled up asleep or hear him snoring on his blanket behind the recliner. I will hear a noise outside and think that I need to let him back inside but he is here anymore. I have washed his blankets and cleaned his bowls for the last time but I am glad that he died at home with the family that loved him.
