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Rest in Peace, Apollo

December 29th, 2017 · 4 Comments

Apollo peacefully left us this morning. After 11 years of joy and companionship he passed away in the veterinary’s office.

He was lucky to be adopted into our family, and especially to have Derek as his “father”. Derek took as good care of him as anyone could have, spending more than a little time and money to keep him as healthy and happy as possible. He had a good life.

It was also an eventful life, with more than a couple of problems, including epilepsy, pancreatitis (which almost killed him 5 years ago), valley fever, and finally in the last year cancer. The cancer was detected as several growing areas in his lungs, but the vet said it looked like it had come from somewhere else. Despite all these problems, he was always friendly and cheerful, never known to bite (except a few nips when he was a puppy!).

He came to our house this last Christmas morning, the last time he was here, and actually ran a few steps in the back yard playing with Derek. But the past couple of days he wasn’t able to eat, stand up or even hold down water. Everyone agreed that it was time to end his suffering.

Here are a few pictures of his life.

Apollo baby
Not quite ready to leave his mother, this was a couple of weeks before we brought him home.

Apollo First Night
His first night at our house. He cried much of the night, but ended up in bed with Derek.

11 and a half weeks
About 12 weeks old. I left this picture off the original post, but had to include it once I saw it.

Apollo
Growing, but still not full size.

Apollo Bike
In his prime he could pull the bicycle along, just like a sled dog.

In the wagon
Derek took him for a “walk” last night near his house, and then this morning around the lake near our house where he used to walk. He could no longer stand on his own.

Goodbye, Apollo. We will miss you.

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4 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Donna // Dec 30, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    He was a beautiful dog and he will be greatly missed. I’m so sorry for Derek’s (and your) loss and sadness. I know you all loved him so much.

  • 2 Dale // Dec 31, 2017 at 3:32 pm

    I remember him as such a loving and friendly dog. I especially remember the bike rides Daryl and I took with him and how he would howl with joy when he first saw me when I stayed there. He will always be remembered with love. Rest in peace, Apollo.

  • 3 Don // Jan 1, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    Sad for all. He was such a beautiful and friendly dog.

  • 4 Teri Pistacchio Aguiar // Jan 1, 2018 at 8:49 pm

    So sad; what a huge loss. I’ll always remember Apollo as a gentle giant. I so enjoyed watching him play with Velcro in our backyard when they were puppies. How ironic that these neighborhood playmates left us on the same day, at the same time, at the same place, right across the hall from each other … unbeknownst to all of us.
    Rest in peace, Apollo & Velcro. You were wonderful family pets and companions and will always be fondly remembered.

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