Mar 8, 2024 4 min read

By Oren Spiegler

I generally appear on this page with scalding letters and essays critical of political figures who have let us down. Today my contribution to the opinion page is quite different.

On Feb. 28, my family and I said goodbye to a best friend, our handsome tri-color collie FInnegan. He lived to the ripe old age of 13, a good, long life for a large dog, but it is never time nor is it ever easy.

I did not expect this fellow to make it to 13. He was the runt of the litter and we quickly found that he was fearful of many things. I suspected that he might succumb to some illness much earlier in life.

Some months ago, when I was out on a dog walk through the neighborhood, I encountered District Judge Phil Melograne, who was canvassing in advance of an election. We talked about dogs and I told him that I had three elderly pups. He said something that inspired me and has stuck with me, that “they reached this age because of you”: through the love that they had received from our family. I believe that exercise, including jogging on a regular basis, also played a role in keeping Finn healthy for as long as he was. People we would encounter in our travels would often tell me what a handsome boy he was.

I was not sure Finnegan would even survive “puppyhood”. On one occasion that I was walking him very early in his life, he got off the leash and started running. I could not keep up with him. Finally, as he was about to cross an intersection where there is often traffic, a caring neighbor who had seen what was happening came toward him from the opposite direction. He wanted no part of either of us and he diverted to the side and ran into a neighbor’s yard where I was able to close the gate, corral him, and bring him home. What a relief!

In recent weeks, Finnegan was failing. He had difficulty getting up, was unsteady when he did, wandered aimlessly, lost control of his bowels, panted a great deal, and lost interest in food. In the past, he would let me know on no uncertain terms when it was time to eat. That had not happened for weeks.

We elected to do the humane thing and brought him to the office of our veterinarian Dr. Mike Hutchinson in Cranberry Township to end his life compassionately. Everyone we dealt with at the clinic was kind and compassionate, a great comfort at a time of sadness. Dr. Mike said something touching which he has said to me before, that if he were a dog that he would like to have a guardian like me. That brought tears to my eyes.

Mike had said in the past that the only thing he disagreed with his mentor about was the contention that the veterinarian gets accustomed to euthanizing animals.

After saying goodbye for his final time, my family and I went out to dinner and we toasted Finnegan.

I am thankful to be able to come back to a home with two other dogs who are also elderly, but doing well, and two young cats. It would have been even more awful to return to an empty, quiet home. We will be keeping an eye on and giving extra attention to our remaining animals as they sense the void too.

If there is a world beyond this one, I hope someday to be reunited with our precious companion and others I have treasured throughout my life.

Oren Spiegler is a Peters Township resident.