I did not convey the full extent of this situation before, but I think I mentioned that Cyrus, the aged dog of my dear friends Andrzej and Malgorzata in Poland, has not been well. You have seen Cyrus many times if you read the daily Hili dialogues.
Well, this week things went downhill for the poor guy: he stopped eating, appeared to be in pain, and the vet said it was time to let him go.
This morning Cyrus was put to sleep. He was the fast friend and companion not just of Andrzej and Malgorzata, but of Hili as well. The animals often shared Cyrus’s bed and went on walks together. And of course Cyrus’s human staff are devastated.
Cyrus’s history can be told briefly: he was found nine years ago wandering the streets, starving to death. He had clearly had an owner before, as he was already well trained and sweet. Cyrus was taken to the local animal shelter, and there he languished for 4 years, with nobody wanting him. When Malgorzata and Andrzej’s last dog died, they adopted Cyrus from the shelter, and had him for five years.
I knew him over the last five years, and he was a sweet dog. He had a wonderful life in Dobrzyn: he got fine dog food, lots of treats, and love from everyone, especially Malgorzata, Andrzej, and Hili. But 14 or 15 years is old for a dog, especially a big one like Cyrus, and he began falling apart. Today his suffering ended, and here’s what Malgorzata had to say about it:
The vet did this in an absolute painless way, putting Cyrus first to sleep like for an operation and then giving him the deadly injection. Andrzej wrote a few words on his Facebook and posted 10 pictures of Cyrus. A man is here, digging a grave under the hazelbush where Darwin and Emma are. [JAC: those are their previous dogs.] But Cyrus is still behind me, looking as if he were asleep, but there is no longer any laborious breathing.
[Later] He is now buried and soon we will remove all his things from the house. Hili is behaving very strangely. She is meowing constantly but I cannot know whether she knows something is very wrong and, even so, what “wrong” really means to her.
Here’s Andrzej’s announcement on Facebook, and I’ve used the automatic translator, which isn’t that great:
RIP, sweet dog. If you have any words for Andrzej and Malgorzata, please put them in the comments.
Here are some of Andrzej’s pictures of Cyrus from the last five years.
Love & best wishes to poor Malgorzata, Andrzej, and Hili…
Sorry to hear this – the death of a family pet is always very tough.
I am glad that after his life clearly went badly wrong for him, Cyrus was able to live out his last five years happily in a a home where he was loved and properly cared for.
I am in tears. My heart goes out to you, Malgorzata and Andrzej.
A lovely tribute to a much loved animal. XX
We are all overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection to our Cyrus. I have no possibility of answering you individually but both of us, Andrzej and I, read every and each comment with tears in our eyes. Cyrus was the sweetest and most lovable dog there ever was. I loved our dogs Darwin and Emma dearly but I was not blinded by love: poor Darwin – sweet, good, gentle and loving – must’ve had a very low canine IQ; Emma, with her extremely high IQ, was a bit of a despot and she despised sweetness and gentleness. But Cyrus combined the best of both dogs: he was a highly intelligent, sweet and most gentle dog. One of the comments I read said that Cyrus won the lottery when we adopted him. Well, we won the lottery as well.
Hili is clearly depressed. This time of year she normally explores the surroundings and we see her for only a few moments every day. But now she is lying on her shelf on the verandah since yesterday evening, she doesn’t want to come inside but neither is she going for her excursions. I would love to show her a short video and let her hear the music Carol Piller composed for both of them:
But would she understand and be comforted?
Great thanks to all of you.
That’s a wonderful video of the two of them, and Carol Piller’s music is perfect.
Perhaps this cat specific music might help console Hili; then again, it might not. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/style/cat-music-for-cats-david-teie.html?_r=1
You were truly dog blessed to know such a fine animal. I miss him deeply, and I never met him. I grieve with Hili.
RIP Cyrus. About a decade ago (shortly after WEIT came out) I lost my faithful ~17y/o beagle mix that we’d had since he was a pup. With everything else, I haven’t had time for a dog since, but my favorite local brewpub is a dog-friendly place and so I get my share of canine interaction down there. Cyrus would have fit right in there.
So long Cyrus. He looked just like my late buddy, Maggie.
I’m very sad at hearing this news, I became really rather fond of Cyrus over the last few years. He seemed such a sweet dog and came across to me as a very dignified and kindly old fellow, maybe due to his little grey beard. I know this will be a difficult time for you Malgorzata and Andrzej, but Cyrus certainly knew he was loved and very much part of your family. He was a very lucky dog to spend his last years living such an idyllic life with you, and I’m sure if he could talk he would have told you he was immensely grateful for your kindness and companionship. Also, my condolences to Jerry and Cyrus’s other friends, human or otherwise.
P.S. I virtually never cry, but I have tears in my eyes right now, for this sweet old dog I never met.
Oh dear.
I got my first dog three years ago, and since then, I’ve studied the pictures of Cyrus and Hilli together, encouraged that it might be like that if I got a cat, too.
A loss for us all, of course; exponentially worse for Hili, Andrzej, and Malgorzata
So sorry for Andrzej and Malgorzata, and Hili.
This brought tears to my eyes.
Thank you for posting his pictures and posting about his death.
Aww … he will be missed. I always enjoyed seeing the two together. Thank you for giving him five good years.
Enjoyed his presence for the last 5 years. Reminds me of our own 2 Black Labs when I was young
I’m very sorry to hear about your loss, Andrzej and Malgorzata, but I’m grateful that there are people in the world like you. Thank you for rescuing Cyrus from the shelter so that his last five years could be happy ones.
So sorry to hear the heartbreaking news about Cyrus, the sweet gentleman. Condolences to his dear family. Thank you for giving him such a loving home, and sharing him with us all.
I’m so sorry that Cyrus is gone. The two of you, and Hili, have given him a good life.
-Ryan
I’m very touched to read so many heart-felt tributes to Hili’s long-suffering, loyal friend Cyrus. Malgorzata’s post with its lovely video (105 above) is very moving. I always identified with dear old Cyrus and will miss seeing him – but he assuredly will not be forgotten. RIP.
A bit late, but farewell dear dog! And love to all his family.
For me, Cyrus and Hili have always been a couple. I know you miss him enormously. (My wife and I lost both our cat and our dog in August 2013, so we sympathize enormously.) Don’t ever forget the home and love you gave each other.