" Beans "

Born: June 1994
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Died:  September 23, 2006
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Buried:  September 2006
Garden of the Pines Pet Cemetery
Virginia Beach, Virginia

I was living in an apartment in Norfolk with two cats, Sir and Cutie Girl, and a guinea pig (Piglet) when my vet, where my sister works, suggested I give a dog named Patrick a try for the weekend.  Patrick had many issues to overcome having to do with his abuse and neglect but was a fast sell and wasn't going back to the vet (who worked with Boston Terrier Rescue).  Patrick was aggressive toward other dogs due to his abuse.  It was unlikely that he would accept another dog as he greeted all dogs with an invitation to fight.  I moved to a home in Virginia Beach in 2001.

My sister and her vet clinic took in another Boston Terrier, Dino, who was turned in by a daughter concerned by her aging father's ability to take care of him.  Dino was over 50 pounds and could barely move his neck due to the extra weight.  His owner would forget when he fed him and would end up feeding him constantly.  He would also forget that he let Dino outside and he would end up in Animal Control or being forced to give rides to small neighborhood children

At the last vet clinic the process of evaluation, dieting, and placing Dino began.  It took a few months to slim him down.  He was in the boarding area of the clinic during this time.  Being 8 years old and having already battled cancer didn't make Dino an easy sell.  The vets took Dino home and gave him a try for a few weeks with their pets.  Dino began to "take advantage" of the dogs in the house, many of which had special needs.  He would also attempt to eat everyone's food as he wasn't used to his new size and diet.  Dino soon returned to the clinic in the hopes that he would be the "office pet."

Although I was getting updates on Dino I was sure Patrick would treat him no differently than the other dogs we had come in contact with.  I told my sister I would bring Patrick to meet him when the clinic closed.  To my surprise the two dogs got along like they were long lost soul mates.  Dino came home with us.  I was told that Dino would live 1-2 years and was scared by that.  I wish I had brought him home sooner than I did.

Dino's quirky personality started to come through little by little.  He would do anything food - beg, steal, jump up and down, come running at the sound of a bag being opened while giving you a look that was hard to refuse, almost as if he was starving despite the long since forgotten previous meal.  Dino didn't like to walk on grass - just pavement.  He would also only sit where there was a carpet.  Dino refused to take walks at the hint of rain and if you ever tried to hurry him he would give you a look as if to roll his eyes.  He would only get off the couch to go to bed at night when a treat was involved.

Dino had his fair share of moments that aged me quite quickly. While hosting a party, Dino pulled a plate of chicken wings off the table and ate them, bones and all. After several trips to the vet he passed them himself without injury or surgery. He once raided the bathroom trash can without my knowledge. While on a trip, I was walking Dino and saw him “eliminate” some recognizable items. I never even knew he ate them. (Anything smaller than his mouth was fair game!) Dino, at last count, had over 20 benign fatty tumors decorating his handsome body. One cropped up on his nose and was removed to find cancer. At his age and level of health it wasn’t the best choice to put “Beans” through chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The vet felt he had removed all of the tumor and it’s surroundings anyway. Dino never looked back or slowed down.

About 2-3 months ago Dino was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. His body was pumping too much adrenaline and so he would drink and go to the bathroom a lot as well as started to have shaky muscles, a little fur loss, and a pot belly- which was no big change and actually quite becoming. The treatment for the disease had a host of side effects including being sluggish, loss of thirst/appetite, and diarrhea. His treatment seemed to be going well and we were getting to his target level.

On Wednesday the 20^th he acted a little weird when taken outside in the middle of the night. In the morning he seemed to be doing fine and I left for work as normal. My roommate came home at around 2 p.m.. to find him out of sorts and off balance. He didn’t seem to want or know how to do things he had done just hours ago. With our vet out of the office it was off to the emergency vet. I got word at 3:35 p.m.. and was lucky to have Iris take over my club meeting so I could go be with Dino. He had many x-rays, tests, and a transfusion and was being held overnight with follow-up testing scheduled for the next day, Friday. I went ahead and called in to work. After Dino was done with his transfusion I went to see him at the vet. I spent about an hour with him and loved and petted on him. I could tell he wasn’t feeling all that well, his breathing was labored, but he tried to walk out of the cage to come home with me. Dr. Whalen sat on the floor with me and went over his x-rays and overnight/next day plan. I though he was doing better and returned home at around 10:30 p.m. (I can’t name many comparable hours in my life that I am as grateful for.)

I got a call at about 3 a.m. saying that he was having trouble breathing, his heart had stopped, and they were doing CPR. Dr. Brandon said she didn’t think they would be able to save him but would try until I got there. I got to the vet in about 10 minutes but Dino was gone.

The bottom dropped out for me. I’ve come to know a sadness that is soul crushing. Dino was buried Friday at about 2:30 p.m. next to his brother Piglet at Garden of the Pines Pet Cemetery. We were offered so much compassion and care there. There are so many cards and donations that I feel so honored on Dino’s behalf.

It’s hard to feel like you will find the same quality of life again when you know what it’s like to have Dino in your life and are then left with his memory and legacy. I have and will have pets that need me and love me. Although I love them all the same I can never love anyone again like I did Dino. He made me a better person every day. I was so blessed to have him for four years as opposed to his original 1-2 year expectancy. And I know that our souls will meet again.

Dino leaves behind Piglet (Guinea Pig) and Oreo (hamster), who passed away prior to him, Sir (Maine Coon cat), Cutie Girl (shorthaired cat), Madison (shorthaired cat), Patrick (Boston Terrier) and Harley (the new addition-shorthaired cat), a depressed family of people, and a legion of friends and fans.

Some of Dino’s many “names”-

Beans, Eyeballs Galore, Handsome Pants, Handsome Devil, Chopper Doodles, Dinos Pinos, Bean Jeans, Beaners, Big Beans, Dino-saurus, Dino Pido, Dino Pinot Grigio, …