Sweet C.J.

Our Sweet Boy, C.J.

May 29th, 2003 - August 29th 2008

Today we had our sweet Beagle, C.J., put to sleep. It was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make. We brought Cracker Jack home from the mall with us on August 23rd, 2003. We had talked for a while about getting a dog and when we saw this little boy at the mall, we knew we had to take him home. We walked laps around the mall discussing whether or not we should get him. I called my mom and asked her to come check him out, since she has owned many dogs. We went over the cost again and again and had almost talked ourselves out of it, since Daddy-O was unemployed at the time. Daddy-O finally told me, "We either get him or we need to leave because I'm not going to be able to leave him pretty soon". He had fallen in love with the little guy.

When we brought C.J. home, it was just us. He was our first "kid". He slept great through the night (better than our less furry kids did for their first nights) and was completely house broken within 2 days. We had a lot of fun with this cute little puppy. He was such a good boy and loved to be with us. He was such a pretty tri-color Beagle and was pure bred. He loved playing fetch, barking at squirrels, chasing the laser pointer and performing for treats. We taught him how to sing, say "please", stand, sit, spin, lie down, roll over, shake, play hide and seek with treats and stick 'em up.

On September 11th, 2003, we took him in for a normal check up. He received his exam and vaccinations. The doctor went to check his lab work and as soon as he left the room, C.J. began vomiting violently. The doctor heard it and came back in. He checked him over and he wasn't breathing. His gums were white. The doctor immediately gave him an injection of epinephrine and one of benadryl. Apparently he had reacted to the vaccine combo and was in anaphalactic shock. He got better after the shots. We took him home and he slept most of the evening. By mid-evening he looked like a shar pei, he was so swollen. We left his collar off so he would be able to breathe. The vet called several times that night to check on him. By the next day, he seemed to be much better.

In August, we brought Sweet Pea home from the hospital and C.J.'s reaction was pretty funny. He shredded the blanket of hers we brought in to familiarize him with her smells. When she came in the house we left her in her car seat. He sniffed her up and down and really didn't want much to do with her. A few days later he heard her crying and ran straight to the car seat and began pointing at it while cocking his head side to side. She was in the other room, but he was certain it was the car seat making the noise.

The two became quick friends when C.J. learned that she had sweaty feet and she could not evade his licking them. She loved her puppy and chased him through the house. He was so patient with her. One time she had him by the lip with a fierce infant grip, the kind they don't even know how to release. His lip was turning white and he just sat there nervously wagging his tail. She loved to play the piano so that he would sing along.


When she learned to walk she wanted to take him for walks, but he pulled way too much. Instead we would put his leash on and she would "walk" him in the house. She would get dragged for a few feet and then fall to the ground laughing.


One night while Daddy-O was out of town, I gave her the junk mail to play with while I went to the restroom. When I returned, C.J. had brought her a mouthful of food in return for the mail to shred. I think that was the only time she got into his food, although we can't say the same for him.

She did love laying on his bed with him and getting in his crate. She went through a stage were she thought he would get cold so every time she found him in one of his beds, she would cover him with at least one, usually 4 or 5, blankets. Whenever she was upset about anything she would cry, "I want puppy". She almost skipped the trip to Disneyland because she was so worried about leaving him behind. She loved putting her dress up clothes and jewelry on him. She loved riding him like a bull.

He was a silly dog. One day he got out of the fence and sat on the other side howling until we let him back in. He wasn't much of a hunting dog. He would often track a squirrel to the base of a tree and lose them there. When we moved to the new house we had a lot of fun watching him run up and down the stairs and would laugh at how far he slid on the laminate when we threw a treat for him. We have had the same bed since we got married and apparently C.J. knew how to get on it. He just never showed us this ability until Peanut was born. One morning we were all sitting on the bed and he decided it was okay to join us.

One afternoon in the spring of 2005, I took C.J. and Sweet Pea for a walk. I wasn't feeling well so I laid down with Sweet Pea on the couch. C.J. jumped up and napped with us, as usual. I woke up to him peeing all over the three of us and the couch. I put him out back while I cleaned up the mess. We weren't sure what had happened. In the next few months, this would repeat itself and we soon learned he was suffering from seizures. The vet told us it was probably from brain damage stemming from the reaction to the vaccines. There was not a whole lot they could do about it. We did notice when he would have these episodes, they were very similar to what we experienced the night of the reaction.

C.J. continued having seizures the rest of his life. Sometimes they were every other day and other times they seemed to go months in between. Here lately they were getting really bad. When he had a seizure he would vomit, defecate, urinate and drool uncontrollably. His entire body would go stiff and he was unable to walk. You can imagine how scary this was to see, especially for Sweet Pea or people who weren't used to it. You can also imagine what a mess it would make.

Lately, C.J.'s seizures had gotten really out of hand. Previously they were brought on by stress, such as an unexpected visitor, someone playing too rough with him, him getting in trouble, etc. The past year they were getting to be more frequent and completely unprovoked. The past few months he was having them in his sleep and multiple seizures a day.

On one hand I feel like having him put to sleep was best for him so that he didn't have to suffer anymore. On the other hand I feel selfish that the amount of work he was requiring played into our decision. It is such a tough call to make.

This afternoon we set an appointment to take him in. Sweet Pea and I fed him a few spoonfuls of peanut butter, one of his favorite treats. I had him perform all of his tricks. We then sent Sweet Pea upstairs, since she didn't know what was going to happen. She knew he was going to the doctor because he had been sick with his seizures. I said my goodbyes and Daddy-O took him to the vet. I know that it was so hard on him to take him, but I really appreciate that he did it. The vet staff was extremely kind and understanding.

When Daddy-O got home, we laid down for a nap and cried ourselves to sleep. When Sweet Pea woke from her nap, we had the dread task of telling her. We brought her into the bed and explained that he was more sick than we had thought and that he had died. She kind of acted sad and then asked if she could have a Chihuahua now. She asked where he was now and we explained that the vet would "bury" him. Then it sank in a little. Daddy-O told her he wouldn't ever be back, but that he was in Heaven. She asked if he was playing with Hugo, our friends Great Dane that passed away. We hugged and cried for a while and then went to get some dinner. On the way to dinner, she sat in the backseat crying, saying to her little toy beagle (also named CJ), "Come back, I love you". It was pretty heartbreaking. I know that we will all be able to "get over it", but we will never forget our sweet boy. The house is a little quieter now. We will indeed miss you C.J.