TIFU by thinking there'd be more time to give my dog the day he deserved
Rex was with me for thirteen years. I got him when I was sixteen, a really goofy golden retriever. In that first month alone, he managed to chew up two remote controls, a passport, and my favorite hoodie. You’d think I’d have been annoyed, but I was totally gone on him.
He was just always there. Went through a bad breakup? Rex was right there. Failed an exam? Rex was there. Couldn’t sleep at 2 AM, stuck in a spiral of anxiety? Rex would already be on the bed, nudging against me like he totally got it.
Things started to change in the last couple of years, though. His arthritis in his back legs got so bad he couldn’t do stairs anymore, and mostly he just slept through the day. The vet kept saying he was okay, just getting old. And I kept telling myself we had plenty of time left.
There was this hiking trail we used to go on when he was younger. He loved it so much. He’d be pulling on the leash the whole way there, come back absolutely covered in mud, and then crash for about twelve hours. I kept thinking, "We just need to go one more time." Maybe when the weather got better. Or when work wasn’t so crazy. Or when I finally had a completely free day.
I never did take him back to that trail.
He passed away on a Tuesday morning in March. It was peaceful, at home, with me right there. But that last real walk we had? It was just ten minutes around the block because I told myself I was too busy.
TL;DR kept putting off taking my dog on one last hike at his favorite trail because I was always "too busy." He passed before I ever did it. 13 years and my biggest regret is a walk we never took