Success story: Big Al
“Big Al” December 31, 1995-February 10, 2008
A note from Big Al’s parents:
We wanted to send along our thanks for helping us find the perfect dog for our family, which was over 11 years ago. I am writing to you today, as we just recently lost this friend and I wanted to send along acknowledgment of his life with us.
We adopted “Big Al” in the fall of 1996, as we were expecting our first child and looking for the companionship of a dog. When we initially interviewed with your group, we were asked to come look at another dog that was close to the characteristics we wanted in our Lab. After a quick meeting, we were not sure that this dog was truly a good fit. The trainer asked us several questions about what we were looking for in a dog and after hearing our response, asked us if we would look at one more. She said that she had a dog whose family did not want him because of his size and chewing habits. She had been working with him for a few days because she felt he had a great personality and would make a good fit in someone’s home. We agreed to look at the dog and she went to fetch him.
When she returned, this big reddish colored Lab came rushing into the area where we waited. He had a big head, big paws, and a scrawny body. He was a very large dog, even at 10 months old, and tripped over himself as he tried to come near us. He was excited to meet us and pulled at his leash quite a bit. We could not help ourselves and immediately fell in love with him. He was the one and his name was “Big Al,” which was more than appropriate. The trainer told us that he had quite a problem with chewing, as he was left alone in a kennel for most of his short life. This caused him to be very neurotic and antsy. She mentioned that she was working with him still and needed another week to complete basic training since al did not even know how to sit or stay.
My husband and I left to go back home and sat very quiet. He asked me what I thought and I told him that he was the right dog for us, despite his size, and wanted to bring him home. I was not worried about the chewing problems or lack of obedience, all of this could be corrected. He just needed the right family to help him and I felt we were it.
When we got back to our house, we called the trainer and told her that we wanted to take Al home. One week later we picked up the first biggest change in our young married lives. Al was truly our first child, he needed as much care and love as a child would and reciprocated what he received. He only wanted to please us and got upset every time we left him in someone else’s care. I believe this was because he was afraid we would not return for him. However, upon every return, he excitedly greeted us.
Al participated in and passed two levels of obedience classes. The teacher at the beginning of the session did not give much hope to Al changing his behavior. My husband worked with him every night and several hours on the weekend. By the end of the sessions, Al graduated top of his class for behavior. He was a good dog.
Al was very charismatic for a Lab of his size, topping out at a whopping 105 pounds in his young adult years. He was not overweight, as he was a very big dog overall. He could easily rest his head on our dining room table, if we allowed him to do so. He loved our kids, taking care of them by guarding them while they were infants, watching them closely as toddlers playing outside with us, and swimming with them as they grew. He would get nervous and try to herd us into the shore when he felt any of us had swum out too far. Al traveled with us a lot going to the beach, hiking, holidays. He loved jumping off of the boat into the lake. He would jump off the bow, swim around to climb into the boat just to jump off again.
Al continued to love to play fetch and had a passion for his “Kong” which he chewed on tirelessly (and we replaced every six months). He could balance biscuits off of his nose and catch them in the air, well most of the time. He was big and sometimes goofy, but truly loved and appreciated by many.
He loved going to the Veterinarian’s office, as he got to play with the other dogs owned by the Vet. Our Veterinarian’s name is Kevin, and he watched Al for us when we went on vacation. Kevin treated him like a member of his family, so Al thought of his clinic as his vacation residence. Unfortunately, Al spent some time with Kevin as a patient because he liked to eat foreign objects, which lodged in his intestines. Three procedures to remove objects, and we became very mindful not to let him near tennis balls, Shout bottles, or corn on the cob.
Al could not have brought us any more joy than he did. No matter how angry we got with his sometimes-bad behavior, you could not hold it against him for too long. He just wanted to be with us and make us happy. A few weekends ago, Al got very sick and we feared that this was the end. Al had been having trouble with his legs and was showing signs of his age every day. After a rough Friday night, my husband brought him to our friend/vet Kevin for help. Kevin told him that his heart was weak and it was one of two things, either the Flu or a heart problem. He gave him some medicine and sent him home for what would be his last night with us.
My husband and I agreed to keep Al in our kitchen as we was starting to lose his capacity to walk. He had been experiencing problems with his bowels and spent several hours the night before vomiting. We made our kitchen comfortable by placing his bed, water, and favorite toys with him. My husband carried him outside so he could go to the bathroom and get some air. We both knew that this was the beginning of the end. Earlier in the day, I had taken Al outside and he had spent several minutes walking in circles around our house, as if he was looking things over. It reminded me of the night before my grandfather passed away. I was told that he walked his property one last time, as if he knew it was the end. This was the same for Al.
My husband got up several times in the night to check on him, as he was sure he would pass away on his own. Yet in the morning, there was Al, happy to see us but also looking very tired. My husband and I knew this was it and we quickly took him to Kevin. Kevin confirmed what we feared, it was his heart and he was deteriorating slowly. The only humane thing we could do for Al was to put him down. He was happy to be with us and gave us a smile with his eyes as if he knew all would be better soon. The process was quick with no pain to Al. I, of course, cried a lot and stroked his head telling him that we loved him and would miss him. In a flash, he was gone from our lives.
As I sit here today, I think back over about the times we spent with al and have to smile. He brought so much more than I expected to our family. He was an integral part and is greatly missed. This is why we felt compelled to contact you and share his story and our thanks for the contribution you gave to our lives. Your organization does so much good for these dogs and their families that we wanted to send along a small token of our appreciation in Al’s memory to help other families find their “Al.” Please use this as you feel is best to continue the work that you do for so many.