The day before, Max came down to the Klinik in the afternoon and asked for some money to take him to a local vet. He said it would only cost $5 so I gave it to him out of my personal money. I didn’t think anything of it, but when I got back to Kay Hanger at the end of the work day, I went around the side of the house to check on him. I noticed him leaning up against the tree, but my initial thought was that he got himself tangle up in his rope and couldn’t get loose. When I approached him, he tried to walk over to me. I saw that he wasn’t tangled up, but rather his legs were wobbly and he was using the tree for support. He could barely keep his balance and his eyes appeared to wonder. It was obvious that he knew I was there. His little tail wagged with excitement as it usually did, but I could tell he was sick and I didn’t want to get too close. As I walked away, I watched as he leaned back up against the tree.
When I woke up the next morning, I looked out my bathroom window and saw him lying away from his usual spot. He wasn’t moving and I knew he probably didn’t make it through the night. I walked outside and spoke to Max. He told me Van Goat died and he was clearly upset about it. Max took care of Van Goat and I imagine he thought of him as his own pet. I too thought of him as my adopted pet. I have three dogs at home, so it was nice to see a wagging tail again when I came home from the Klinik. It’s not the same here without him.
