Snoopy’s Love

A few months ago, one of our family’s dogs, Snoopy, started having a dry cough. My dad took him to the vet. They diagnosed him with an enlarged heart. He also had fluid around his heart. They prescribed him some pills, which he would have to take everyday for the rest of his life.

A few months later, Snoopy was running along the fence and he was barking at the neighbor dog; something he liked to do often. Suddenly, he let out a yowl – it was a cross between a howl and yelp. It is one of the saddest sounds I have ever heard. He collapsed, and my dad ran to him. After a few seconds, Snoopy lifted his head, and stared at my dad. His eyes asked, “What happened? Is something wrong with me?” After a minute, he got up, and pretended like nothing happened. This was the first of many seizures he would have.

Snoopy coughed more frequently. It was like he was hacking up something stuck in his throat. However, what he was feeling was actually his heart. The seizures started very infrequent. He went several weeks before having another one. The second time, he was playing with our puppy, Shiloh. I heard his yowl from across the house, and I came running. My mom, dad, and I all knelt by him and gave him love. He awoke within a few seconds, but his eyes told us he did not know what happened. He got up a few minutes later, and he started to act normal.

The coughing and seizures got worse. At the end of July, three seizures struck in less than a week. The last seizure was the worst. It took him several minutes to recover. When he finally did, he was limping. He could not feel one of his back legs. He would chew on it, and not walk on it. My parents made the decision to take him into the vet to be put to sleep. We said our goodbyes. My parents stayed with him during his final moments.

When I was in high school, my parents had to put our first dog, Scamper, to sleep. My parents underestimated how long it took to adopt a dog, especially since they wanted a particular breed. They finally found one in South Dakota, and they adopted Rascal. As Rascal grew older, they decided to adopt a second dog, so they would not be without a dog when Rascal passed. After a few months of looking, they adopted Barney from a dog shelter in Fargo.

I stayed with Rascal, while my parents went to Fargo. When they came back, Barney started sniffing everything in the house. My parents said he was sniffing everything in my dad’s truck during the trip. We decided we did not like the name “Barney.” My parents asked me what we should name him. I suggested Snoopy, since he was so snoopy. I did not even think about the white dog from the Peanuts, or that I would later call him Snoop Dog. Snoopy just seemed right for him.

Snoopy quickly grew attached to us, and we grew attached to him. This seems odd now, because Snoopy was always trepidatious of strangers. Before being caught by the pound, he was a runaway. He had some odd habits. He would hang back or hide when he first met people. After a while, he would warm up, and love you just as much as anyone else.

For some reason, he hated boxes and garbage bags. When I opened a box, he would hide behind my dad or under the bed. The bed was his safe space. One time, I reached under the bed to try to pet him, and he just growled at me. I only did it once; I knew not to pester him while he was under there.

Snoopy was very food orientated. One of our Sunday traditions is to get a Six Pack and a Pound from Taco Johns. When we brought back the Taco John’s bag with Snoopy, we gave him some potato oles… he did not like them. However, every time we would give him some oles, and he started to look forward to them. I think they became his favorite food.

Shortly after adopting him, he started to get sick during long car rides. He was too snoopy and would want to look outside all the time. Eventually, he would throw up. However, he still loved riding in the truck with my dad, no matter where he went. I remember my dad would pull up with Snoopy in the passenger seat, and he would be the proudest dog in the world.

I joked that Snoopy loved my dad and food, but I was not sure which one he loved more. Although he would always want food, he obviously loved my dad more. Walks with dad was his favorite thing to do. He felt a lot of pride walking ahead of my dad at the park.

He loved the rest of the family, too. He would be there to greet us at the door whenever we came home. I swear he was extra loud whenever my dad came home. If my dad came home with a white box (left over food for the dogs), he was extra happy.

I can definitely see how Snoopy survived on the streets. He was the cutest dog when he begged for food. He would sit up on his hind legs, and paw at the air with his front paws. You could not say no to him.

I liked to give him belly rubs. He only tolerated being picked up. However, I would lift him up, and sit down in the couch. I would recline the couch, and I would recline backwards with Snoopy on my chest. I would then rub his belly and chest. I would stop and wait. Usually, Snoopy would start pawing the air with his front paws, like he was saying, “More, please, more!” So, I would give him some more rubs, and repeated until he had enough.

When my parents adopted a puppy named Shiloh, Snoopy was not too keen on him. All Shiloh wanted to do was play. Finally, Snoopy relented, and played with Shiloh. Boy did they play hard. They chased each other around the house, and outside. Snoopy would pin Shiloh, and they would play-bite each other. There was no going easy with those two. Snoopy loved it.

I would watch the dogs whenever my parents went out of town on vacation. Snoopy would become depressed. Yes, he still loved me, and would be happy to see me. However, he would sigh a lot. He spent most of his time looking at the empty spot in the driveway where my dad parked. He, also, spent a lot of time under the bed.

I made sure to be at the house when my parents got back. When they arrived, it was like a light switch flipped in Snoopy. Right now, I can hear the squeal he made when they walked through the door. He turned into a brand-new dog.

I have loved all of the dogs we have had. However, Snoopy was very special. He had a lot of personality. The vets diagnosed him with an enlarged heart, but he has always had a lot of love. I am happy he found his way into our family. I love him, and I miss him.