Terrence (aka Papi)

From Terrence’s ODH mom:
Terrence, aka “Papi” had a huge personality. We called him our lovable curmudgeon. Like so many dogs who have experienced a hard life, it took time to earn his trust. He went from not allowing us to touch him, to rolling over for much deserved belly rubs.

Papi was a sensitive boy. He could tell if you were sad or upset. He would crawl in your lap, lick your face and cry with you when you were upset. He also had so much joy in him. He surprised the whole family when the then 16 year old Papi started barking and chasing the ball we had in our living room for our other dog. All 10lbs of him fought our 30lb dog for that stupid ball with all his might. You could tell he enjoyed every second playing and at the same time terrorizing his much bigger friend.

I had a difficult pregnancy and after a very scary surgery, when I came back home he was the first to greet me. He refused to leave my side, staying in bed with me the whole time. When we brought home our daughter, he would again stay in bed with me, and then became the protector of our
daughter. He had two of us to take care of and he did a great job.

Often we hear how wonderful we are that we took in a Final Refuge dog and how grateful he should be. This comment makes me angry. He did so much more for us than we ever did for him. He taught us patience, unconditional love, and demonstrated what a true fighter was made of everyday we had him. We had him for over two years. He was not expected to live so long. Every day we had him was a true gift. Our house is now abnormally silent. Our beautiful boy is no longer here. We are grateful to have had the time we had with him.

You are our little boy, Papi. You will always be loved, and as long as we are alive, you will always be remembered. Thank you for all you did for us. We love you so, so much.