Bo the Wonder Dog: 12/25/02-10/28/09

Space_Cadet · Joined: Aug 27, 2005 Posts: 2627 Location: Central Florida

I've posted on occasion about Bo the Wonder Dog. Sadly, he passed last Thursday. We all learn to love our pets and it hurts when they pass on. But Bo's passing has been especially traumatic for my family.

Anyone who has come to really know rottweilers, knows that by temperament they're not naturally aggressive. They are big and powerful, and very energetic for a large breed. But they're also very affectionate and sensitive to the those around them.

Bo was house broken and obedience trained by my wife and I. Everything else, he learned on his own. And he learned a lot. Most importantly, he learned to make friends and to save my wifes life on a regular basis.

The making friends was nothing more than his personality. He single-handedly converted countless people from terrified of the breed, to absolute Rott lovers. I really enjoyed watching Bo introduce himself to strangers. We'd call him in to let a person see that he was in the house and not dangerous. He'd then walk over to them and sit down to patiently wait for them to pat his head or give him a little scratch. If they didn't, he'd reach out and lick their hand once, then wait again. Yes, it startled more than a few people when he licked them. But as soon as they understood that it meant that he liked them, they were hooked.

The lifesaving part amazed quite a few people, not the least of whom were my wife's doctors. My wife is a brittle diabetic. That means that she is a diabetic who suffers radical swings in her blood sugar levels very quickly and often randomly. Her blood sugar level has been known to go from 90 to 30 and then to 500 within a very short period. This is of course very dangerous for my wife, especially since these swings could and did occur when she was sleeping. Bo learned to recognize those episodes and would wake my wife by licking her face when her blood sugar levels would crash or spike. He woke her dozens of times over the years and every single time her blood sugar level was well outside the normal range. She now has an insulin pump and an experimental embedded blood sugar level sensor. But for several years, that was the job that Bo gave to himself. And he never failed to be there when needed.

My wife told her endocrinologist about what Bo was doing and the doctor asked to have Bo brought in to her office. She arranged an experiment in her waiting room. There were 10 other patients in her office that morning. She explained to the other patients what she was planning and assured them that Bo was a big ol' baby and wouldn't hurt them. My wife then walked Bo through the waiting room past all of the patients. He stopped twice and took those peoples hand in his mouth. Both tested their blood sugar level and both were very low. That amazed everyone but what Bo did next astounded everyone in the room. Bo pulled away from my wife and went over to the receptionist and took her hand in his mouth. Her blood sugar level tested very high. Bo had identified a diabetic who hadn't been diagnosed. The doctor made some phone calls and after a little additional obedience training, Bo was certified as a medical assistance dog. That allowed Bo to go into a lot of places where he wouldn't normally have been allowed and to make lots more friends and convert quite a few more people to Rott fans.

I could go on and on. Bo had lots of adventures and touched a huge number of peoples lives. And changed quite a few of them for the better.

Here's a typical Bo road trip. The event was my foster daughters husband being sworn into the army.

Getting cleaned up for another adventure.

Chillin' in the parking lot before going inside.

Finding a good spot to catch all the action.

Converting a yet another person with a fear of large dogs into a Bo friend and fan.

Getting rested up after coming home and of course staying close to my wife. After all, keeping her safe was the job he volunteered to do.

Sorry about the long post. But Bo was a very special friend. He'll be greatly missed.

Space

Deltaskipper

A nice tribute to Bo. Pets do become family members just as much, in some cases more than, others. Sorry about your loss.

Rupert · Joined: Aug 27, 2005 Posts: 7284 Location: Charlotte, NC

I am so sorry for the loss of Bo, but thanks for sharing a wonderful story.

Seamus · Joined: Aug 06, 2005 Posts: 793 Location: Canada

Sorry to hear about Bo. I remember you talking about him. Lovely dog. I have two fine fellas myself and one is a certified therapy dog as well. Amazing what these guys can do.

I lost one of my other dogs last year and its so hard. They are part of the family and are sorely missed. Bo is up in some field playing chase with my dog Murphy so we know they are still having fun.

ChloeDancer · Joined: Nov 09, 2006 Posts: 1555 Location: San Diego

That was a beautiful memorial post for Bo. What a very special dog he was.

I'm so sorry for your loss. May he continue to heal from above!

SuzieQ · Joined: Aug 27, 2005 Posts: 1362

I grieve with you Space. I've been down the same road. It has been over ten years and I still feel the pain.

Sue

dalek · Joined: Nov 07, 2009 Posts: 6

I didn't know Bo, but I understand the loss of a pet/family member. I wish you the best.