March 16, 2007- May 17, 2021
I often think about just how lucky we were to find ourselves with an Oliver in our lives. We had just moved into base housing at NSF Kamiseya, Japan and our friend told us about a woman who had gone back stateside and left her backdoor open so her two dogs could run freely in and out and just take care of themselves while she was gone. I was shocked that anyone would think that's a good way to take care of your pets (one of which was a tiny puppy!) for a month! We were told the couple would soon be moving back to the USA and they had no plans on taking the dachshund puppy back with them. They were going to take their other dog though, because they paid for him (as though a dog's value is in their price tag!) Our friend told us that the woman didn't care what happened to the puppy since he was, you know, free.
We ended up going over to the lady's yard and I just fell in love with this super cute dachshund. He was so loving and cuddly and we scooped him up and took him home with us. My memory is a little faded, but I think we just kept him for several hours and loved on him and cuddled him and then returned him to his yard. Our friend had told this lady that her friends (us) were interested in adopting the dog if she was okay with it. The lady seemed receptive so when she returned home the next day, Blake and I headed over to chat with her.
"Hi! We were told you might be looking to rehome this dog, and we'd love to have him if you're willing!"
"Oh? This dog? Yeah, I'm not taking him with us."
"So.. that's a yes?"
"Yeah."
"Oh... okay, so... want to say goodbye? We can come pick him up later....?"
"Oh, heck no. Go. Take him."
"Does he have a collar or leash or anything?"
"Nope."
"Um. Okay... Thanks....?"
"Yup."
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| Oliver was just 3 months old when he joined our family! |
And then we held little Rottie close and walked home! Yes, Rottie. His name was Rottie because he looked like a Rottweiler. YUCK! It was only a day or two before Mr. Oliver Wendall Isaacson was given a name more befitting of his awesomesauceness. As we walked away from his first home, I held him close, walking quickly before the lady could change her mind... As though she'd change it! That afternoon, we headed to a store called Viva Home where they have a massive pet section. We got a shopping cart designated for pets and pushed Oliver around while we shopped for a collar and leash. I'm certain we got him some lovely toys and treats, too.
As they say, the rest is history. For 14 years, we got to love on the best dog in existence. He's been gone now for just over 4 months and I still cry when I think about him. Heck, I'm crying now.
Have you heard of the phrase "Soul Dog"?? The idea of a soul dog is that once in a lifetime (maybe twice if you're lucky!) you fall in love with a dog that just GETS you and you GET him. You click in a way that's just unexplainable. You share a closer bond with your soul dog than with any other dog. A canine soulmate, if you will. Oliver was most definitely my soul dog. He was always so, so obedient. For me. For others? Well, he was a hardheaded jerk sometimes! For example, when it was time for him to go pee, he'd sit at the door and lightly whine until we heard him. If I headed over to the door and opened it, he'd run outside and do his business. However, if Blake was the one to open the door, Oliver would run away from the door 9 times out of 10, and refuse to go outside! Why? Because he wanted his soul person to open it, duhhhh. Liam had slightly better odds- Oliver would go outside maybe half of the time if Liam were to open the door. Oliver was weird, for sure.
I still cannot believe how fast we lost him. He started limping one day. His back leg was bothering him. After this went on for a week, I made an appointment for Monday afternoon. They did x-rays and came back with terrible news: his femur was broken and the bone itself had a moth-eaten appearance about it. No longer solid, the bone was disintegrating. Cancer was most likely the culprit. They said it was likely one of two kinds: Aggressive or super aggressive. They asked if we wanted further testing and I said yes immediately. I just had to know what was responsible for taking away my Soul Dog. They had me come in on Wednesday so they could put him under and do a test by extracting cells around the bone. The results came back: Super aggressive cancer, osteosarcoma.
Our treatment options were limited. We could amputate and then do chemo which would give us maybe another 3-6 months with him. Or we could do nothing and wait for the sign that he was ready to go. He was still so happy, but they told us he'd be ready to go in less than a month. We never even considered amputation and chemo. He was 14 and that's just too much to put him through. We'd decided we'd rather soak up our last days with him rather than put him through a terrible surgery, recovery, and chemo. Most unfortunately, just a few days later, he let us know he was ready. He lost his perkiness and his eyes didn't shine the same way. And it's hard to describe, but he all of a sudden didn't smell like Oliver. He smelled different; He smelled like he was sick. Just 7 days after our preliminary diagnosis, it was time to say goodbye.
On May 17, 2021, a vet helped Oliver cross that Rainbow Bridge. We called a traveling vet that comes to you. It was a nicer way than taking him into an unfamiliar clinic. The three of us sat on the bed in our RV as Oliver passed. I held him to the very end. I don't remember a time I've ever cried so hard in my life. It felt like part of me was dying, too. When the vet listened to his chest, she declared, "He is gone." but I already knew. The moment he left this earth was the moment I learned that Soul Dogs are real.
I will never, ever stop missing my Loolie. My Ollie Dolly. My Loolz. My Oi Oi. My dog of many names! Loolessiver, Vertical, Oybo, Oiless, Olivander, Looless, It's a wonder he ever responded to Oliver, his official name, yet the one I used the least.
And that, in an emotional nutshell, is why I stopped posting on this blog. I wasn't about to simply ignore his passing, but I also didn't have it in me to pay an appropriate tribute to this wonderful dog who enriched our lives. Until recently, I'd cry every time I thought about him. I still do, but I'm glad to say that more often, his memory makes me smile rather than cry.
