April 7, 2005 – October 17, 2013
Kosmo came into our life on a chance visit to the Edmonton Humane Society on June 14, 2005. Born on April 7, 2005 he was a mere 8 weeks old and only weighed 10 pounds. He was so small that he could lay down on the centre console in our truck while we took him home. His given name was John and his brothers were the other Beatles, Paul, George, and Ringo. We felt Kosmo was a much better suited name because of the way he looked.
We fell in love with Kosmo right away and chose him because he was the quiet one of the litter. Little did we know this would soon change and Kosmo turned out to be full of energy, highly intelligent, easily trained, and loved to work! The more work he had the happier he was. Kosmo was also very protective and extremely loyal and did not like being separated from his family!
Kosmo was also quick to display his prowess as an escape artist and provided us with countless challenges to find ways to keep him safely kennelled while we were away at work. I really wished that I had the type of job that would have allowed me to keep him with me during the day but it is hard to make a living playing fetch!
Kosmo loved cuddles and being petted, going for walks, runs, bike rides, playing tug of war, and agility training. When we first moved into our house most of the surrounding area was still rural with lots of fields and woods. It was like living in the country and Kosmo loved to go for very long off leash walks, sometimes 3-4 hours, so that he was free to run, play, and explore.
Playing fetch was by far his favourite thing to do though. Kosmo would greet you with toy in mouth, most often one of his rings, trying to initiate play and would not stop until you played out. I think he was worried that if he stopped you would stop too. Often times we would have to make him take breaks so he could have a drink. I am certain he would have played until his heart exploded if you let him. He was in is glory doing this for countless hours each day!
In 2007 our family grew with the birth of Owen. Kosmo was very happy to have mom home with him and he was sure to stay close for cuddles and watch over them while Angela would feed and care for Owen.
In 2008 our family grew again with the arrival of Brandon. Kosmo now had mom home again and was very familiar with the routine of feeding and cuddles.
Kosmo was very protective of his brothers, he kept a careful watch over them and always made sure he could see where they both were. Kosmo also enjoyed being brushed and petted by Owen and Brandon. As we all got older their fondness of each other grew and the responsibilities of having a dog were taken on by the boys. They would often help us take Kosmo to the bathroom, get him food and water, make sure they were gentle petting him, put his leash off and on and even help to bring him into the house from the van. They were proud of Kosmo as their dog and took great comfort in knowing he could help them find mom and dad in a game of hide and seek as well as keep them and our house safe. Simply put Kosmo was the best dog ever and worthy of super hero status!
Over the Thanksgiving Weekend Kosmo became very sick. His breathing was short, labored and wheezy and had a whimper to it. We thought that it might have been kennel cough and so I took him to the vet. After an initial physical exam, blood tests and x-rays the results were in. Kosmo had a very large mass in his lungs and another in his abdominal area. Our biggest fear came true, Kosmo had cancer.
We took a few days off to spend with Kosmo and the boys stayed out of school on Thursday afternoon so that we could take some pictures with him. Kosmo passed away Thursday afternoon with Angela and I by his side. He was only 8, his life to brief. We were far from ready to let him go, to say goodbye but knew he was suffering badly. He is already missed more than words can express and will be greatly missed by our family. The pain of losing Kosmo is difficult. We were fortunate to have him be such a tremendous part of our lives. The memories we have of him will be cherished forever.
It is sad to see all that remains and everywhere I look I am filled with wonderful memories of our beloved Kosmo and wish he was still with us.
