Emmett

From his ODH mom:
EMMETT was stiff and arthritic everywhere when he came to ODH.  He had an old knee injury that left his rear leg stiff, and all the muscles on that side had shrunken.  As time went by, he developed problems with his neck where he would stiffen up and have difficulty walking.  The presumed herniated disk was treated with muscle relaxants whenever it bothered him, and he would return to his old arthritic self.  The final time however, he had an acute onset of neck stiffness that was not only more severe, but also very painful.  It was time to say goodbye.

EMMETT always had a big smile for everyone.  I would never let anyone give him treats or snacks, because if they did he would never forgot – every time he would see that person again he would become a crazed creature barking for food.

However in the house, he ignored whatever I was eating.  EXCEPT when I had chips – he could hear them crunch and came right over to stare at me.  He would sit as smartly as he could, and I saved the last one for him.  So when we went to the ER for his final car ride, I brought along a whole bag of chips just for him.

I held his head in both my hands like I did every night before bed, and told him “You’re our EMMETT, we love our EMMETT, yes we do!” and he slipped away.