Remembering Trayne

A friend of mine will be receiving a kidney transplant soon, in July. They determined that a cousin was a suitable donor, so she is leaving work at the end of the week to begin taking two immunosuppressant drugs before starting IV medicines. All this in hopes she will not reject the organ.

I’m worried about her. I wish I could do more than worry. It can really make you feel lousy when you know your limitations. I’m not the doctor who will help her, and this transplant is needed to save her from a lifetime of dialysis or worse. Her problems are clearly more than I can manage. But I’d still like to fix them.

My choir director’s dog also died today. I thought the remembrance he did was touching. I edited a bit but I’m including it here:

Dear Friends,
Trayne the Poodle went to Doggie Heaven today after a year-long struggle with an enlarged heart and eventual heart failure.
I had taken off last Friday to perform the deed and then I heard on TV about canine hypoglycemia and a treatment that seemed to work. He had all the symptoms, so I purchased some Pedialyte and he actually rallied on Saturday. However, after the weekend it was obvious that this palliative would not work for long.
Like Sarge the Shepherd/Wolf who died in 1987, Trayne was able to eat until the end and he gobbled up his dog food this morning, but could not even stand on all fours to eat it.
The staff at Avondale Veterinary Hospital was very supportive and made a difficult situation bearable. His cremains will eventually be placed in an urn to stand next to the other receptacles for my German Shepherds Sarge and Bear.
Trayne came into my life at the end of January, 1995 as a gift from my friend. He helped me get used to life in Georgia when I still missed, not only my faithful German Shepherd, Lady, but also my two pet lizards. Lizards make very good pets.
Trayne is survived by Bébé the Maine Coon Cat who will receive much more attention now that the jealous poodle is no longer underfoot.
Trayne was a stalwart at Emory Gardens Condo during our ownership. During this period Sharon Rowland arranged for kitty to arrive, supposedly as a pet for the poodle. Both animals thrived at Oak Creek Apartments from October, 2000 until the present.
I don’t know if any of the great Russian composers has composed a Panikhida for canines!
We will all meet at the Rainbow Bridge.
With sadness, Joe

I remember a particular day when Joe first mentioned that his dog’s health was failing. He discussed the symptoms and options for a moment then said he’d need to put him down. I remarked that I knew it would be a really sad day for him and expressed my sympathies. He said, “Yes, but I know why the dog is sick. All he knows is that he’s hurting. And if I don’t put him out of his pain then I wouldn’t be doing my job as his caretaker. I’d be keeping him alive to make the loss easier on me.

I had to blink rapidly a few times to keep from crying myself. Joe is a portly man well into his 60’s, and I don’t have any sort of romantic designs on him, but I thought that was the manliest thing I’ve ever heard. If you don’t get why I’d say that, then you’ve never lost a beloved pet. They are probably the closest thing many people get to unconditional love and acceptance, and letting them go because you know it’s the right thing to do is still very hard. And I think wanting to spare your pet the confusion of a few week’s suffering even if it means having them put to sleep is just about the most decent thing I’ve ever heard.

I’ve always liked Joe, but I think that was the first time I ever measured him against something that mattered. Sleep well, Trayne.