One Last Ride | A Dog’s Last Wish

On February 16th I got to meet and ride along Brutus and Mike as they took ‘One Last Ride’ together and bonded over a cheeseburger (Brutus’ favorite!). Brutus most favorite hobby was to ride shotgun in Mike’s truck and drive downtown to enjoy a cheeseburger! Mike also mentioned that Brutus enjoyed watching TV in the living room with Mike. If you’re a dog lover then I’ll recommend getting some tissues as you scroll through these photos of Brutus..

“Brutus was one of a kind, they truly broke the mold with him. I’ve never had a dog that could communicate what he wanted or “thought he needed”. He was the keeper of the couch and the sergeant of snacks. In his younger years, you couldn’t crack open a bag of chips without him knowing and even in the later years when his hearing diminished, he somehow still had that ability… but only for food. If one were ever to look for him, he could be easily found on the nearest soft surface, whether it be a pleather of blankets or the nearest couch. I don’t think he was ever denied a night of sleep, not on top of a pillow, top mattress, or a mound of blankets, or both.

Sitting on the ground didn’t suit Brutus unless he was outside sunbathing. He often requested or “whined” when outside with me and I quickly learned they were due to him wanting a soft seat. Brutus demanded a life of luxury, and he got it! Small events such as yard work , you could find Brutus hanging out “supervising” from a nearby chair, or the days laying on a memory foam dog bed in the garage while I worked on my vehicles. Brutus was a part of every aspect of my home-life and was among my families as well. My family helped me raise him and take care of him. He spent many days with my sister and my mom due to me being away on the road for work. Many days spent sitting in my sisters carport (always in a chair) “judging the neighbors”, as she liked to call it.

He not only had me tricked but everyone else as well. Many days my mom would sleep on the couch with him so he would be content and stop whining. Brutus has also been referred to as ‘bossy’ and ‘spoiled’ by the people around him! Unbeknownst to us we created a set of habits for Brutus that are only our fault. Brutus had high quality taste when it came to water. You could find him standing at the shower wanting you to set him in and turn the water on so he could have a drink. When he was done and ready to get back out. He would then vocalize that he was ready to be retrieved.

In his later years in life I started to carry him everywhere we went. So that it was less pain on him and that developed into a need for him to be carried anytime he felt like. My dad often said that he had us fooled and was just tricking us into doing what he wanted. He was so smart, it seemed like we could communicate just by looking at each other; one time I remember my mom calling me and saying that he would not stop whining and barking at her. I told her that he wanted her to go to bed and to lay down with him; she called me back 10 minutes later and confirmed that he did in fact wanted her to go to bed.

In 13 years he learned my habits. He knew when I would be coming or going. When I would start loading my truck for my next trip out of town, he always knew. He would fight me to get outside so he could make sure that he got “loaded up” as well. It was amongst the hardest things I had to do throughout the years, to leave him at home knowing how bad he just wanted to come with me and ride along sitting shotgun.

I was able to hold Brutus in my arms as he crossed the rainbow bridge on February 16th. The hardest decision I’ve had to make in my 28 years was to decide that my best friend was tired and he was ready to go... I want to thank Martin for shooting these pictures for me and Brutus, and that I will cherish for years and years to come.” — Mike

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