2nd Oct, around 12:40 am, we lost the star of our house.
On 1st Oct, the moment I picked him up for his routine vet check-up, he wasn’t like he was the day before. He seems tired, weak, and unresponsive to most things. The doctor told me to get his blood work done. He wasn’t eating, peeing, not even his favourite treat. He couldn’t even walk for more than a few seconds. I was convincing myself that he was fine, that he was just a moody dog. I wasn’t ready to accept it. But I went for his blood work, X-ray, and ultrasound. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t even reacting to those procedures; he was quiet. Ultrasound and X-rays weren’t fine. After receiving his blood work, we took him to the vet, and as I entered the room, the vet told me, "Situation critical hai," and at that moment, I experienced an intense pain in my upper chest. That sharp pain went away slowly.
Cheeku had fought tick fever and kidney disease in the past, and the same doctor had treated him, but for the first time in 11 years, the vet was hopeless. We returned home, and I started preparing myself for his last moments. I knew that the time had come. One by one, we sat with him. I ordered an ink pad and took his paw prints. I laid him comfortably on the sofa and played the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra, comforting him. Exactly at 12, my mom told me to rest a bit while she sits with him. I went to my room, and while many thoughts were running through my mind, I internally prepared myself to lose him. He gave us time to prepare ourselves for losing him. At 12:30 am, Mumma came to my room to inform me about certain changes that confirmed the time was near. It was my turn to sit with him. I patted and comforted him. Slowly and gradually, he took his last breath. He finally peed while taking his last breath. I cleaned him up with his towel, and we wrapped his body in a bedsheet. He was still on the sofa. Mumma said, "Kabhi isko zameen pe nahi bithaya toh aaj kyun rakhe." None of us wanted to leave him alone in the living room. We all wanted to rest before leaving home at 4 am for the cremation, so we rested on the sofa. Meanwhile, I started navigating the right place for cremation. I found the right one at respectfullypetcremation.com. We wanted electric cremation for Cheeku. I booked the cab for 4 am.
It was the first time in the last 10.9 years that we were locking the main door without the guilt of leaving Cheeku behind. I picked him up. His body was still warm, his eyes were still open. We tried to close them, but it didn’t happen. I sat in the back seat with his body on my lap, remembering the first time we brought him home. He was so tiny that he fit inside papa's jacket. We reached the wrong destination at 4:45 am by mistake, then found out the actual destination was approximately 45 minutes away. The actual destination was amidst a forest area in Gurgaon. We reached the cremation centre, and it was still dark. I was asked if I’d like to give him to the workers to carry him, but I chose to carry him from the parking area to the hall. We laid him on a white sheet on the ground. Panditji performed a beautiful ritual, and we sent him inside the electric cremator. As soon as we came out of the hall, it was 5:49 am, and I saw a beautiful sunrise. I clicked some beautiful pictures, and it is now my phone wallpaper as well. We sat there for around two hours. We saw nature very closely—there were many butterflies, peacocks, birds, and an open sky. It was time to collect his ashes, and we left.
So, this summaries his last moments,
the sunrise was the highlight.
It took me more than three days to complete this blog. At the end, I would like to thank everyone who has gave love to Cheeku and who were close to him. He was the star of our home. He received love and gave love to everyone who came to our home all these years.
Now the home is empty. There is no noise from his bark or his funny and irritating acts. We are still getting used to this silence. But I always remind myself of the sunrise I saw at the end.
That’s it for this blog!!
Lastly, I am grateful to Ronit Solanki and his team, who made the entire process easy and peaceful for us. Ronit ji stayed awake with us whole night and guided us through the process. They provide 24/7 services.
Visit https://www.respectfullypetcremation.com to know more about them.
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