Today was Greta's last day. I could go back and check my journals, and I'm not that sure, but it may be 16 years to the day that we picked up the cutest little 9-week old puppy from the SPCA, and that's also where she left us. I did not decide to let her go — I let John do it. So many things went wrong with her, that, well, if they could have brought her back to her happy self, I would have done whatever was necessary, whatever it cost, but the vet didn't think there was much chance that she would ever be well again, and there were signs that she might have kidney or liver failure or both. A lot of negatives, but I think her cry of anguish at 6:00 this morning was the worst. The rest of the details, well John knows and I know, but I will leave you with this picture of her in happier days. Maybe in the next week I'll post some puppy pics too.
We brought her in in her little red wagon, and that's the way she exited the world, wrapped in blankets, while we kissed her head and held her paws and told her how much we loved her.
```````````````````````
It was exactly 16 years. I checked my old journal.
 |
| Puppy Greta at Burning Man, September 1995 |
3 comments:
Oh, Diane, I am SO sorry. Dog lover to dog lover, this sucks, sucks, sucks.
I had an elderly terrier who lived almost until her 21st birthday and it was awful when I had to put her down. The same thing--too much wrong, so much pain, kidney damage, no hope of improvement. When I knew it was inevitable, I asked the doc for morphine for her last week, so she could be pain free--one last loving vacation. She wasn't pain free. And then I knew absolutely. If morphine couldn't ease her, she needed to be done and I needed to be brave enough to do it.
Greta seems like she was an awesome dog, and I'm sorry for your loss.
ps--I've seen pix here over the years, but never a puppy picture. I would LOVE to see Greta as a baby!
Thanks for the good words, Leslie. It does help to know that others know what I'm feeling. Honest, I feel like my insides have been kicked out, it's that bad.
I have to say that Greta's last few days were not very good, and yet I didn't even think about an end. When the vet suggested it, it was John that made the decision. She *was* an awesome dog, and there was no end to what we would have done for her if it could have helped.
BTW, it was exactly 16 years from the day we adopted her; I checked my old journal.
I'm working 9–5 through Monday (a vacation replacement), but this weekend I'll find those old pics and post them here and on FB.
Post a Comment