After staying here for a little over two weeks Joanne went back to Canada, leaving Oscar here, and that is when the fun began. He was the smartest dog I’ve ever met, more so than our Bingo, and quite headstrong, which caused a few problems. He also wasn’t used to other dogs and we had five here, with three of them being about 70 pounds. I shall never forget the look of shock on Oscar’s face when Roscoe (boxer) came into the kitchen to see who was here…..he about froze, with this look of panic on his face. He then got to meet Indy and Georgia, the other two giants. I don’t think he was too happy with the situation as he decided the top of the kitchen table was the place to be after his buddy Joanne left here. It took awhile before he understood that I meant business when I said the table was off-limits to dogs…..probably because he didn’t think of himself as a canine, or I don’t believe he did. Joanne had taught him all kinds of things but what most impressed me was his basic intelligence. He truly was the smartest dog I’ve ever met in my entire life, and he proved this daily.

He did terrific and enjoyed going out into the fields on the John Deere Gator to hunt for Indian artifacts. He was always game for a ride of any kind, always enthusiastic. He eventually even learned to tolerate the other dogs as I believe he thought he was above them. Along with our Hooper, a little white pekapoo whom we had to say goodbye to in the spring, he was my other white shadow until the night he became ill. He was taken to the vet’s the following morning and tests showed he was in liver failure. That was on Thursday, by Friday he had gone downhill so badly the vets weren’t sure he would make it. On Saturday morning the vet called me at 8:00 a.m. to tell me there was no hope so Roger and I immediately went up town to be with him when he crossed over. The whole situation was such a shock, seeing him go from an apparently healthy little Bichon to death’s door in less than 48 hours. The house was quiet once again, even with the five other dogs – no more Bichon scream of delight when you returned home, no more barking at the new puppy, growling when Oscar got hold of Oscar’s favorite toy, no more screaming for dinner, just silence. No more cuddling in bed, no more being awakened in the middle of the night because Oscar is laying on top of my legs, no more Oscar laying atop my clothes when I took a bath, no more Oscar up in the recliner with Roger, just huge empty spaces all around us now.  Oscar had such a zest for life, game for about anything if it didn’t include the vet or groomer, and now, all was so terribly quiet. This was such an unexpected loss, and it came on the heels of losing my favorite love, Hooper. Although I told Oscar many times that I had grown to love him, I didn’t realize how much until he was gone, and he is sorely missed. Little by little the Oscar crept into my heart, where he shall remain always.