In Honor of Augustus "Gus" Waters

It is no secret how much my twin sister Alison loved her dog Augustus "Gus" Waters. Alison adopted Gus (and his brother Henry, who was our Mother's dog) from Thorssen Quarter Horses and Corgis in December 2015. Gus was named after the character from the novel 'The Fault in Our Stars.' I have never met a dog that smiled quite as much as Gus. He was energetic, barked his head off, and was the happiest Corgi one ever did meet. To say Alison spoiled him rotten is an understatement. She brought him to the beaches of Florida, the desert in Arizona, the beaches of Lake Superior - he was always with her. He also was fiercely attached to our Mother, and very late one night alerted my twin to the fact that our Mom was very ill. We know that Gus saved her life that night.

Suddenly last night Gus became very ill. Alison, Jimmy and the kids rushed him to the Emergency Vet in Maple Grove. After IVs, bloodwork and scans, we found out that Gus was having a catastrophic event in his little body. He had a large mass, that was causing internal bleeding. After much discussion with the Vet, and with the understanding that even the option of a $10,000 surgery to remove his spleen, it was clear those efforts could not guarantee Gus much more time, and likely would cause great suffering. My twin and her family had to make the absolute horrible decision to put Gus down, and have him cremated.

My twin has spent her career as a dog groomer helping pet lovers all over the metro area. She loves every one of those animals like her own. To see my sister have to say good-bye to her little fur best friend broke my heart. Even without being able to save Gus, they still had to pay a $2,300 vet bill. I can't fix my twin's broken heart, but maybe relieving some of the financial burden can give her peace of mind.