~Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a teardrop~
We lost our beloved Hercules Tiberius on Tuesday, August 1st. He was 15 1/2 years old. We rescued him on May 4, 2013 at the age of 11 from the Colorado Pug Rescue after our first little boy, Pugnacious Horatio died suddenly at the age of five. Instantly he stole our hearts and was allowed to practice “Unacceptable Pug Behaviors” due to his overwhelming cuteness. Such behaviors as little trash can tipping, resting one’s chin on the edge of a plate and crawling into the dishwasher and licking dishes were somewhat allowed. He brought us four and a half years of joy. On Jan. 1, 2016 he had his first seizure and he declined from there. We managed to find a mix of medicines that kept the seizures under control, but over a year and a half he lost a lot of weight and could no longer get comfortable. He lost his balance a lot and got his days and nights mixed up. Most nights we were up no less than 5 to 10 times a night either feeding him, letting him outside or just getting him a drink. We always joked that he kept us up more than our newborn, but it was really true. We tried a variety of things to help extend his life and give him a good quality, but in the end, it was not enough. We had to make the agonizing decision to assist him to the Rainbow Bridge. Our last evening was spent at the Rose Garden with a picnic, where Hercules had a hamburger, french fries, turkey jerky and doggy ice cream. We went for a leisurely walk where he got to sniff all the spots he wanted and also watch the ducks in the pond. We also sat on a bench as a family and watched the sunset. That night I stayed up all night with him, just talking. Then in the morning he had a delicious breakfast and got to see both of his human brothers, reading a good book called Doggie Heaven. There was one last ice cream and one last chance to eat out of the babies bowl, but he wasn’t too interested at that point. He enjoyed one last walk and sniffing session before Dr. Lori Lowery came. Hercules allowed my husband to place him on his little pillow that was covered with his favorite blanket from his first family and he settled down. No more pacing, no more panting, no more whimpering. It was our sign that he understood and was ready. We laid next to him while Lori gently worked (she was so amazing). Sang him his special song: Herkle Berkles Alamaterkles (silly, I know) and we whispered in his ear how much he meant to us. He went very peacefully. We tucked him in the basket with his blanket, blue stuffed octopus and the letter from his first family, tucked under his paw, near his heart. We were so blessed that he chose us to spend his golden years with. He was loved so very much and will be missed dearly.
My heart smiles when I think of Hercules- sauntering up to Heaven on his short little front legs, meeting Pugnacious for the first time. I can only imagine how Nach greeted him with a sniff and lick and said “Man, Mom really, really spoiled you. She would have NEVER allowed me to behave in such a manner!” Hercules is survived by his Mommy and Daddy, two human brothers and his pug sister Sophie Marie.
Thank you so very much, Jennifer Brown