That wasn't his real name, but after seeing him, that's the first thing
that came to my mind. Animal Control had a big sweet 2 year old neutered male. He was a
stray and that was all they could tell me. They told me he had been chewing at the cage
door and that was why his gums were bleeding.
Even before I left animal control I called the vet's office to see if they could get him
in. I knew he was going to need a check up, rabies shot, kennel cough vaccine and heart
worm check, and would they have the time to clean him up a little? He was a mess.
He was so big, I didn't think I'd have a collar big enough. When I went to his kennel door
and opened it, he just stood there, tail wagging while I adjusted the collar around his
neck. We went outside and he was quite the gentleman. Didn't pull at all, when I stopped,
he stopped, and just kind of leaned in to me and looked around. When it was time to leave,
he jumped right up into the van and looked around, then laid down for the trip to the
vet's office.
While we waited for the vet to come out, I got his front feet on the scale - 73.5 pounds.
When I went over to sit down he came and sat in front of me and gave me the Golden paw
routine. He was more like 5 years old. When we did get him weighed, he rang it up right at
120 lbs and stood about 28 inches. I couldn't wait to see him next to our rescue Ginger at
40 pounds. What a
picture that was going to make!
But it was not to be. The tumor covered most of the roof of his mouth and was even pushing
some of his teeth out of the way. The vet said that the tumor was so large, that part of
his skull would have to be removed to even try to get it all. His lymph nodes were
enlarged and she could feel some hard bumps on or near his liver. Surgery was just going
to have to be too
aggressive, and it was just a matter of time before he'd have trouble breathing.
I only had about two hours with this wonderful Golden, and I was touched deeply by his
gentleness, and I miss him terribly. The only thing I was ever able to do for this giant
was to hold him and shed tears, as he gently crossed Rainbow Bridge.
If you would, please light a candle for Goliath......