Losing My Puppy – A Reflection

Friends,

I would like to start out by saying if you are reading this entry in the first place, you most likely are a friend of mine, a fan of my music and / or follow me on social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook & Instagram. That being said, you have then likely seen my urgent requests for prayer throughout these past few days.

At first glance, you may have thought to yourself how silly it was that I went public in my need for prayer. Furthermore, you might have also found yourself thinking how absurd it was that I was asking for prayer in the effort to heal a sick puppy. There is so much else in the world that needs prayer right? A sick puppy may have been the last of your concern.

In either case, I am not upset with you for thinking that way. Odds are it’s not your fault.

Some of you may not be religious. Some of you that are religious may just not believe in the incomprehensible power of prayer. Some of you may have thought we needed to toughen up. It may simply have been that you just never got the chance to experience the extreme joy and impact that a puppy can bring to a family and didn’t understand.

People who love their pets understand. Trust me.

Whatever the case, whether you thought that way or not – I would love to inform you all as to what having a puppy like Chance has done for me, my family and my overall outlook on life.

Chance came into our lives in the summer of 2005. Like a little tornado he came into our lives. The cutest little puppy you ever saw. All puppies are cuties, but I’m telling you – Chance was the cutest. Magazine cover cute. Puppy wallpaper cute.

Not only was he cute, but he was a sweetie.

He was just a baby. My brother Chris & I took turns watching and feeding him while we went to and from class. He could barely walk he was so tiny.

The first night at our house we could tell right away he was homesick being away from his mom, brothers and sisters. From that very first snuggle session, we knew we had a new member of our family.

It was the first time my brother & I had ever been solely responsible for a life. That is kind of a big deal. Anybody who has pets, or has kids sure knows what that is like. A huge responsibility. He depended on us for everything.

Those first few months figuring out how to raise and train a dog had so many bumps in the road it was overwhelming. Pee spots, bare-handing fresh poops, torn up furniture and socks and clothes with holes in them wouldn’t even begin to explain it. Scrounging up enough money for his dog food, treaties, shots and other vet bills was super tough for a couple struggling college students.

Like I said before he was a sweetie. He melted the hearts of anybody and everybody who met the little bugger. Guys wanted to play with him, Girls wanted to kiss him, he was the most popular dog in the land. He loved the attention. Whether it was a belly rub, cuddling or laying his little head on your hand, he would eat every last bit of it up.

He loved people and was the most loyal little thing to ever walk this earth. He was always bouncing around excited and loving everything about life.

Still, Chance was an adventurous little guy. By adventurous I mean fearless. He wasn’t scared of bigger dogs or anything for that matter. He wasn’t scared of storms, fireworks, moving cars or anything. There was a time down at our lake-house those first couple weeks where he wandered a few feet away to go explore and a hawk tried to swoop down and take him away. I had never been so scared in my life.

He was so incredibly loved.

Not only by my brother & I, but by everybody and everything he came across. Chance befriended rabbits in the yard, crayfish that escaped my fish-tank and everything you can imagine.

He was loved so deeply its tough to sit here and write about it.

I have yet to start a family and have kids, but when my brother went that route, Chance became my sole responsibility. He was my kid.

He was the most low maintenance dog ever. He really didn’t need much to make him happy.

However, within a couple months of taking him in as my own he got very sick. When we brought him to the vet, it turned out he developed diabetes. Along with the $2,000 vet bill to save his life, he would need a shot of insulin every morning and night to keep him alive and well.

I didn’t know much about diabetes or that dogs could even get diabetes. It was very shocking at the time, but we were all so happy just to have our little guy make it through.

I soon learned how complicated diabetes was and how it would change everything about his life from then on. Everything from the food he ate, to when he ate it and how much exercise he got would effect his health.

This must have been 2009 or 2010 when that happened. To this day I can’t believe how tough he was and how normal he was afterwards. He never ever cried or complained anything.

The definition of easy-going. No matter what life threw his way, he kept moving. Always with a excited positive attitude towards everything.

As I sit here and reflect on the things that a little dog named Chance taught me, I am overwhelmed.

Here are my top 10:

1) Chance taught me that no matter who you meet or cross paths with in this life, greet them warmly. First impressions go a very long way and they leave a lasting impact.

2) Chance taught me that being loyal to the people that love you should come before anything and everything else in this world. Something we often forget about as humans, but it’s what really matters in the end.

3) Chance taught me that responsibility, loving and caring for others is a very rewarding thing. He showed me that all the love I put into him came straight back to me.

4) Chance taught me that life is all about attitude and the way you look at things. He showed me how much fun taking out the trash can be instead of how much it stinks.

5) Chance taught me that despite health complications and other things out of our control, you have to be positive and tough. He showed me that you could get diabetes out of nowhere leading to health problems like calluses covering your eyes, leaving you virtually blind and can still go about life as if everything was perfect.

6) Chance taught me that we are making memories all the time, even when we don’t even realize it. That even doing ‘chores’ like bathing a puppy can be treasured.

7) Chance taught me to be fearless. That going for a walk in -20 degree winter storm weather is perfectly fine.

8) Chance taught me how to love unconditionally. Other humans will undoubtedly fail us time and time again, but dogs are a consistent source of love.

9) Chance taught me that we have to do things for loved ones that aren’t very fun sometimes. Things like being there, comforting and holding them as they take their last breath.

10) Most importantly, Chance taught me that it’s the simple things in life that matter. That the best things are truly the littlest things. Little things like hanging with family, taking out the trash, going for a walk, snuggling, or enjoying some sunshine. How often do these simple things come last on all of our priority lists?

This was a crazy weekend, we really weren’t ready to lose Chance yet. That’s why we needed your prayers.

Despite my heartfelt pleas, God had other plans. If you did pray for us and our little puppy, thank you. It means the world to me.

Though Chance was just puppy to the outside world, he was so much more that that to us. He was a true member of the Bauman family.

His impact and the countless things he taught me will be forever etched on my heart.

Thanks for letting me share,
KMB