I’m writing this to forever let my pup’s story to be seen.
I first met Tomma when my friend called me and asked if I was interested in getting a puppy. Their dog had just given birth to a litter of 9 and were looking to home them. I had been diagnosed with Aspergers and we were considering getting a dog to training as a Service Dog. When we got there, my mom wanted me and pick the only girl from the litter but wanted to hold each of the puppies. He was the second puppy I picked up and refused to leave my side as I held the others. In that moment he picked me as his person. After we had left, as the puppies were still too young to leave the mother, we got a call from my friend telling us that Tomma had been whining at the door since we had left. He came home with me June 2, 2015.
After he was trained, he went everywhere with me. He was by my side in high school, lived with me in college, and has been with me for the past 11 years. The last few months, his health had been deteriorating, sluggish movement, muscle spasms struggling to climb steps/car seats and exhaustion/labored breathing. Because of his training, he had been hiding his pain from me and I didn’t realize it until my mother had told me that, during a a visit, that he had yelped in pain when she was just holding him.
About 4 months ago, I adopted Aria (a new puppy) to help with the transition and, after a few weeks, he started to truly show he was ready. 2 hours ago, we said goodbye to my best friend of over a decade as the vet put him to sleep. My mom and I gave him the best day with a 2 hour ride, a home made pup cup, sharing some of our lunch and a walk in a park near a major river in our state. We did some clay paw prints and some canvas paw prints before the vet appointment.
I love you Tomma. This isn’t goodbye, only a a see you later. When my time comes, you’ll be there to meet me at the pearly gates. Thank you all for reading his story and keeping his memory alive.
Post Edit: For anyone curious about his name, I have always been a major fan of anime. A little bit before I got him, I had watched the anime Hayate the Combat Butler and loved the animal character in the show. His name was a variation of the character’s name Tama.