We had the honor of being Oso's family, and it is rare when you find a animal who is such a great pet and member of the family. We first spotted Oso at a pet adoption day at Greenbriar shopping center in Chantilly. While there were dogs of all shapes and sizes, Oso truly stood out among the crowd - a striking, large white and tan collie/Great Pyrenees mix. At the time, I was doubtful such a large dog would work in our small condo in Burke, but my fiance encouraged me take him for a walk. He was wonderful on a lead and had a calm temperament. He was also strangely aloof, and while most dogs seem to warm to me right away, Oso was quite indifferent. We explained our lifestyle to the HART rep, and our small home, but she felt that we would be a perfect match for this calm animal.
And it's true, he was a great match. We took him on many of our hikes, and he pulled like a mule on lead and really enjoyed the outdoors. Every day, I faithfully walked my dear friend, and he returned our kindness with his love and affection. He quickly attached himself to me, and followed me everywhere I went around the house. I've never seen a dog that was so intent on following a person around, and I couldn't go from one room to another without Oso on my heels. As I became married and we had our first and then second child, Oso was wonderful around the kids - always gentle and understanding, and never any signs of outward aggression towards our children. Over the years, I walked Oso without fail three times a day - though blazing heat of 102F, and frigid cold winter mornings in the dark when ice cover the sidewalks, and I feared Oso's love of the walk would pull me over on icy stretches. He loved being outdoors as much as I did. And if the rain ever got too hard as we started out on one of our regular walks, sometimes Oso would stop and give me a look that he really didn't need soak himself and it was okay to turn back to home. And we did.
About six months ago, Oso went into decline and really started to slow down. Two months ago, I came home and found him splayed out and unable to rise off one of our wooden floors. It was then I realized that Oso's days were running short. Over the next month, he continued to have difficulty getting up off our wooden floors. During one walk, his back legs gave out, and I feared I would need to carry him home. Our walks had become more events of me pulling him around the walk instead of the other way around, and Oso was no longer walking with his tail up and alert. He was not a happy dog. He was eating much less. Oso had the will to continue his long walks, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Over the past month, we tried medications, but they only marginally helped. As our summer vacation approached, my wife commented that when we checked him in to his original home at Parkway Vet, he might not be in good enough condition to come home by the end of our vacation.
My wife was right. Three days before the end of our vacation, Parkway called on my cell phone to report Oso was running a fever and was having difficulty standing. He also had stopped eating. We agreed to start antibiotics, but the following day, Parkway called again to report that Oso could no longer stand and was in a bad way. They were turning him on his side every two hours, but he really couldn't move. The vet suggested his head cant to the right might be due to a brain tumor. We cut our vacation short and headed home today to steel ourselves for the inevitable.
When I saw Oso this evening, he was in worse shape than I realized. He couldn't get up, and his jaw was shaking. He was obviously glad to see us, but it was also clear he was in pain and unhappy. With profound sadness, we realized there was only one option left for our dear friend. At 5:50pm this evening, we released Oso from his broken body.
I want to thank Hart for teaming us with such a wonderful friend and family member. All of us loved Oso dearly, and I only hope Oso feels we gave him a good home and lots of attention. He attracted people everywhere he went and was one of the most striking dogs I have ever seen. I would also like to thank Parkway Vet in Burke for sponsoring Oso on behalf of Hart before we had the honor of being his owners. They took him in and kept him fit until Hart could find us.
We will miss you severely dear Oso. You were a good, good friend and a member of the family we will never forget you. Thank you for ten wonderful years.
The Hiltz Family