08/16/2026
Barrett kept trying to guard us when he could barely manage his own walks. A few weeks ago he seemed completely fine. Then he started getting sick, struggled to breathe and use the bathroom, stopped wanting walks, and we found out he had aggressive terminal cancer.
Vanessa and I stayed with him this afternoon. Barrett paced the room at first, watching every person and every movement like he still had a job to do. Then he sat perfectly straight beside Vanessa and pressed his whole body against her legs. Eventually he relaxed while I held him and kept talking. When he was gone, we both completely lost it. I keep looking toward the doorway expecting those ears to appear. We weren't ready, but we couldn't make him suffer because we wanted another week or month. You watched over us your whole life, Barrett. You don't have to anymore. ❤️
