November 5, 2005 to March 9, 2021
I actually bought Arthur from a pet store in Ohio in 2005! Yes, I know, totally against my principles and yours too likely. But as a good friend of mine reminded me, when she bought hers at a pet shop years before, that I said to her “Well, he needed a good home too!” My husband at the time knew I loved Westies (we had 3 other dogs then), and when he was at the local pet shop buying fish food, he saw a Westie pup. He rushed home and said to me “You must come to the pet store and see this adorable (well, he might have used the word ‘cool dude’ instead) Westie puppy!” I said “No way!” First, I refuse to buy a pet (I only adopt), second, I knew that if I saw him I would take him home, and third, I wasn’t ready for a 4th dog!
Long story short, he tricked me into going into the store a week later and there he was… in a big box, waiting for me… we were soulmates ever since. We picked the name “Arthur” because he was of Scottish descent, and because he was so, well.. unperturbed and proud. My mom added the nickname “Underfoot” because he was… you guessed it, always under your feet! My dad was living with us at the time and fell in love with him, and so did Patrick (my ex), and later Ray my hubby now, and of course I did too, and anyone that met him. He was definitely an “old soul” pup.. he would spend all day staring at me in an effort to determine if I was having a good day, or was about to jump off a cliff! He knew everything about me and reacted to every emotion I showed.
I have no doubt that Arthur Underfoot was an angel sent from Heaven to watch over me. In fact, toward the end, when I knew he was in pain and having lots of issues, I said to him many times “Bubby, you don’t have to stay here with me anymore, I will be okay.. promise.. you can go home now.”
On March 9th, 2021, I got home at 6:30pm from a long day, after my hubby Ray called me and said he was having one of those odd seizures he’d had once or twice before in the last 6 months. I got there and he was better, but very disoriented and not himself, so I decided to take him to the vet ER; I went by myself thinking it would pass… 45 minutes later I was in the OR table with him and the clinic staff saying good bye to my best friend in the world… oh boy how I cried, all I could say to him was “Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your love, for taking such good care of me Bubbies…”
This broke my heart… but I know so many of you reading this now have gone through the same pain saying goodbye to your furry best friends. If I can ask anything of you is this, next time your best furry friend is ready to be sent to Heaven at the vet’s, PLEASE stay with him or her, don’t walk out of the room to make it easier on you, and let the vet do this without you there… what could mean more to that wonderful furry friend than knowing you were holding his little paw when he said good bye.
Arthur was my inspiration for Big Bam Bikes (other more mundane things aside). The logo has his irreverent beautiful face on it, it’s on all the walls in the front room of our bike shop. Big Bam Bikes IS Arthur Underfoot. He was at the Farmer’s Market greeting strangers asking about ebikes, and always happy to say hello to anyone who walked into our shop. He went everywhere with me. He was indefatigable even at 15, he was amazing, he was Arthur Underfoot, my angel. I will miss him forever.
