The Obituary of my dog Wes

Wes left us suddenly on Tuesday, November 29th around 1:30amET. He had a blood clot that took him too quickly. He had just turned 12. This is the obituary of my dog Wes.

I adopted Wes back in 2012. The shelter had found him in a field in Virginia with a litter of puppies. He was the only pup to survive. I had been searching for a German Shepherd that I could run with and who would protect me. My boyfriend (now husband) was gone a lot with the Navy and I wanted companionship. I was searching online and stumbled upon Wes on craigslist. He was with a foster family about an hour away from me. I knew as as soon as I saw his picture, he was going to be my best friend. After looking at and meeting hundreds of dogs before him. When you know, you just know who your dog is going to be.

I drove over an hour each night to see him after work. I wasn’t able to adopt him until he was a little older and could be neutered. He also had Canine flu and some eye issues that he was healing from while at the foster home. But the sweet foster family let me take him 3 weeks early after he finished his meds before I could officially adopt him. I think they knew I loved him and there was no way I was not going to adopt him. Or they were tired of me interrupting their evenings each night to come see him!

Wes was listed as a German Shepherd Mix

His given name by the shelter was Radar. I even remember going into the shelter to sign his paperwork and the volunteer said, “Are you sure about him? Because he’s going to likely be over 100 pounds. We get many people who think they want a big dog and then end up bringing them back.” This of course made me sad. But, without hesitation, I stated that Wes would be with me forever. And off we went with lists of trainers I could seek out for help in training my soon to be greater than 100 pound German Shepherd.

Turns out, Wes was NOT a German Shepherd

The next month when I took Wes to the vet for his check-up, I had concerns about his size. He was only about 14 pounds at 4-5 months. I wanted to make sure I was feeding him correctly and that he wasn’t sick because he wasn’t growing. My vet looked at me very perplexed and explained that I would be lucky if Wes grew to be 30 pounds! My big German Shepherd was really a puggle/corgi Mix. I wouldn’t have changed him for anything though. I was already completely obsessed and in love with Wes.

Wes was brought home with intentions to crate train him. Wes tried the crate but I wanted him to sleep in my bed so that didn’t last very long. He woke me up all through the night to go outside. He of course took to the bed quickly and thought of it as his own. Therefore, he would not go to the bathroom in bed.  Unfortunately, he was too little to jump all the way off the bed which made him scared. Therefore, he’d sit on my face and cry every two hours each night for me to carry him down the stairs and let him outside. He was so cute and cuddly, that I barely cared about the lack of sleep. Although, the 4am wake ups to walk were tiresome after 2 years.

Doggy Daycare Fun

While I worked, Wes went to doggy daycare each day so he wouldn’t be alone. And also so he could get his puppy energy out. We also went to all the dog parks in the area after work and long walks on the weekends. For as small as Wes was, he had so much energy his first 2 years of life. And even when he became older, the doggy zoomies would come on more often than not.

When I had told my now husband that I was getting a dog, he wasn’t too happy. It was a couple ‘thing’ to do at that time to get a dog. He didn’t want the financial responsibility for a dog or the lack of sleep that comes from having a puppy. He didn’t think I needed a dog either with us being young and both traveling a lot with the Navy. But, I was in my early twenties and didn’t care. So following my first email while he was out to sea, letting him know I was looking for a dog, I soon followed-up with a second. “Hi babe, attached is a picture of my new dog:)!”

Fast forward a few years and my husband, Brendan, and I married, moved a bunch and Wes (the dog) and Brendan (my husband) became fast best friends. Brendan now had a built in disc golf buddy and road trip companion.

Halloween Dog

In 2013, we all moved to Salem, MA which is the halloween capital of the world. Wes was a popular dog around town and was asked to be in the annual Salem Halloween parade. We took him all through the east coast to run on different beaches. He tracked up to Mount Washington, took the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, explored the beaches of Cape Cod and even rode in a yellow taxi in NYC and ran around central park. 

His favorite beach was the one in Manchester by the Sea. We took him there so many times and he just ran wild and was so happy. We honestly took him everywhere. He sat on my lap during flights to Leland, MI to relax on Lake Michigan. Wes drove cross country 2x with Bren when we were moving a lot too. He was quite the explorer and was always up for the adventure. 

Later we would move to San Diego where he was able to explore even more.! Wes really enjoyed being around Golden Retrievers. So he always sought one out on the beach. We even considered getting a golden retriever. But soon realized getting your dog a dog didn’t make a lot of sense in the midst of also having children! And in 2017 while in San Diego we brought home our son. Wes was skeptical at first but he snuggled right on up to him. Wes learned to take his walks with a stroller which he was not a fan of but he caught on quickly. He got to go on extra disc golf adventures with dad while I stayed home with the baby. He was a Cali dog at heart.

Charlotte, NC was Wes’s Final Home

We would then move to Charlotte NC where he would spend the rest of his life. We had a second baby and he loved her. Didn’t love her crying but loved her cuddles. 

Wes spent his last few years as happy as can be. When Covid hit, he was surrounded by his favorite people all day, every day. He slept in a big king size bed curled up right next to his humans each night and chased squirrels in his big backyard each day. 

On his last day, he enjoyed the kiddos left overs and crumbs like he had always done during dinner time. Brendan had taken him for a walk earlier that day where it was nothing but sunshine and he chased a squirrel on the way home. He snuggled up to me that night as we all closed our eyes to catch some Z’s from a normal day. 

And then Wes was gone…

And then just within a few hours from our eyes closing, he got out of the bed and collapsed. He was still breathing but wasn’t really there anymore. We rushed him to the ER and in a very traumatic experience, had to make the recommended and most painful decision to let him go. It was just me and Wes. I hugged him and held him and told him how much I loved him. I facetimed Brendan so he could say goodbye. A goodbye we didn’t know we were going to have to make.

I was with Wes, holding him for over an hour, in complete disbelief that he was gone. The vet came in and told me it was time. So around 3am, I handed him over and drove home. It was painful and surreal. I just left my best friend and someone I had loved for over 12 years. Someone who had seen my best and worst years. I really couldn’t believe it.

We had him cremated. He came back to us about 4 days later and I will say that there was a sense of relief that he was back in the house, as strange as that sounds. 

Wes was loved beyond measure

I do know that Was was loved beyond measure by so many people. He just left us years too early and I will forever think that it was unfair. Wes will forever live in our hearts and memory though. There is not a day that goes by that we don’t think of him and remember him for the incredible dog and best friend that he was. We love you Wes!

If you have lost a loved dog, regardless of when or how, please comment below and tell us more about them. Hearing that Wes is with other furry friends in doggy heaven will definitely make us incredibly happy.