I rehomed Brutus in early 2012 when he was a few months old. The couple I adopted him from had a toddler with a disability. Even as a pup, the couple told me Brutus was patient and loving with all. Unfortunately, the toddler was a little too rough with Brutus so they chose to rehome him.
I had recently moved out on my own a few months after graduating from college and my new apartment felt very lonely. I decided to get a dog and I wanted either a pug or a dachshund. A posting for Brutus went up shortly after I began browsing and it was love at first sight! What a handsome little guy I thought. I contacted the owners and set a meeting and ended up going home with Brutus.
After a few fun months together, I had the confidence to join a dating website and I posted a picture of Brutus in my profile. It was definitely a requirement that my match would need to love dogs so I thought I might as well present Brutus early, right? Brutus (not me, haha) caught the eye of the person who would eventually become my wife. We have been happily together since 2012, married in 2017, and have a beautiful four-year-old daughter. Brutus has been by our sides through good times (and some bad times) for over 11 years. Brutus loved snuggling, hanging out with his pug brother Vader, and playing with squeaky toys.
Last July, Brutus was diagnosed with diabetes and I began administering his twice-a-day insulin. I have been fortunate enough to work remotely the past three years so I provided him the best care that I could. Sadly, over the past couple weeks Brutus began to display the signs of canine cognitive dysfunction. My family made the incredibly difficult decision to have him euthanized on Monday. I cooked him a steak dinner that afternoon and he passed away peacefully in my arms. He has his puggy angel wings now, as we describe to our daughter, and is watching over us. We all miss him terribly but are also so thankful because he is the reason we all have each other now. RIP Brutus (“Bru-Bru”, “Bru-bear”, “Bruty”).