Getting a dog was our first priority after the wedding. I had a stack of books for everything dog, and we were super excited to find a wonderful dog. So we went to the Humane Society "just to look." Danica was a stray, guessed to be a year old, and she was sitting down in the holding kennel. She wasn't barking. "We need to look at that dog," I told Kevin.We had to wait 48 hours to take her home. I was scared to pieces that her original owners would show up. I skipped work so we could get her right at 11am, the earliest we could claim her.
Thank goodness we didn't have kids yet. In her prime (the next 9 years) Danica could play fetch, go for walks, explore the grounds, swim in the sound, and overall get her run on for anywhere from 1-8 hours a day. I thought all labs were like this until we visited family in the midwest whose lovely lab played for about 20 minutes then settled in for a nice nap. "Is she always this active?" my cousin asked. "Yes, isn't yours?" "No." Well, then.
If Danica found a ball, it was fetch time. All my pants had wet, slimy marks on the thighs from Danica's constant attempts to shove a ball in my hands. She wasn't a cuddly dog but loved attention and always wanted to be with us. For a while she even slept on the bed with us (the longest I've co slept with any "baby") until I realized that two adults and a 65 pound dog weren't fitting on the FULL MATTRESS. But she's always slept in our room.
She originally approached the kids with an attitude of benign neglect. Then they started feeding her scraps and she was all in. She let them climb all over her, take her toys, and give her clumsy pets and scratches. As she slowed down, Patrick could walk her. She never pulled or went too fast.
It's been hard watching her slow down. Making the choice to let her go is hard. It's not clear cut. She's still eating and drinking. She's not having regular accidents. She still loves to get out. But she's in constant pain, her sores won't heal, her hips give out constantly. Do we continue to put band aids on, knowing they'll only delay but not truly improve and heal? We have decided to let her go, before she's in agony, before it's horrid. We took a last good walk today. She spent time sniffing around the park and wandering in the woods.Thank you for an amazing ten years, sweet Danica. Run strong over the rainbow bridge! You have been such a joy for our family. We love you, our first "baby."
P.S. Letting her go was more peaceful than I could have imagined. We have an amazing vet, and he plus the office crew were wonderful to us. They placed an IV port so she received the medicine quickly. Her head was cradled in my lap and we stroked her soft fur as she slipped away.
