Bacchus, aka Bacchii, is a golden who is a regular boarder at the kennel. I've been seeing him since I started working last summer. I dunno at what point I fell in love with him, but it was a long time ago. Bacchus has always been an old man during his visits while I've worked, but he was a happy old man. This visit he wasn't quite himself.
Sometime early last week, I think it was Tuesday? Pam came and got me in Hard Bark. She said I needed to see Bacchus. My reaction was "What? Bacchii is here??" So I thought she just wanted me to go see him because I wasn't aware that he was boarding. Well I went down there, and there's a big note on his chart. It says that the owners brought him in and said he hasn't been himself at home the past few days. I open his door and I automatically know he's not himself. Normally, he'd get up and wag his old tail and greet me. This time, he just stayed down and barely lifted his head to aknowledge my presence. I went in and hugged him.
That same night, I was doing Happy Hours, and I decided to check in on him on my way around. Well, there was another clue I knew he wasn't himself. His rawhides. He gets small rawhides as treats, and thats the first thing he eats when he goes in his run. He gets so excited when I go into his cubby to give him one. Well, since I saw him earlier, til a few hours later, he had a rawhide sitting in his run untouched. So I was loving on him and he got a little happy and I handed him his rawhide. He took it happily, and I was happy. Ten minutes later, I stopped by again, and he's still chewing on his rawhide. They were only small little things, so that couldn't be right. I opened his mouth, and there was half a rawhide sitting on the back of his throat. I pulled it out, and threw it away, and wrote a big note not to give him any more of his rawhides, and apologized to him that he couldn't have any more of his treats.
Every day I've worked I've checked on him and loved on him since. Days passed and he wasn't getting any better. One day, I was sitting in his run with him and I told him, if he doesn't come back for his next reservation, I was never going to forgive him.
Today was his pick up day. I originally thought the chart had said he was getting picked up in the AM, so I thought Saturday was the last time I would see him (since I don't work Sundays). But I was walking around before daycare, and saw the familar highlighted chart sitting on the door of 2 Tropics Patio. I ran in there, and it said he was really getting picked up in the PM. So I glomped him and loved on him, then went down to daycare.
Around 7:30 I'm getting ready to leave for the day, and Jessika was mentioning to Gina that a bunch of dogs still hadn't gone home (the lobby closes at 8). So I ask if any good dogs hadn't left yet, and she asks who. I say, Bacchus! And she's like no, he left already. So I'm like, will you look up his next reservation? Thats when Gina tells me she doesn't think he'll be back. Secretly, I know that, but I wanted to know, so if he didn't show up, then I'd know for sure. Gina told me that he was barely able to walk out to the lobby and his mom was almost crying and could barley get him in the car. I said I was glad I was down in daycare or else I would have cried.
Instead, I cried on the way home, and I'm crying as I write this.
Bacchii, my old man golden, I'll miss you. Hope you get someone to rub your tummy and feed you rawhides.

( Bacchus Love )EDIT: The video DID upload:
Bacchus and another golden playing :3