It's rather discouraging to have to use the tags "2010, RIP" at all let alone twice in one year and yet circumstances have occurred in which I must use them yet again.
As some of you may know, my Mom's dog, Zoe, became strangely ill early last week. It was rather sudden and all at once prompting a trip to the vet's office. A few blood tests later, she was on her way home...the vet's diagnosis unable to be determined until the test results were back. Friday morning delivered an urgent phone call from their office to bring her back in...her white count was very elevated, normally pointing to an infection at the very least, and they needed her brought back in ASAP. Back in the car she went, making yet another trip to their office, this time she was being admitted...but nothing further was said as to what was at the root of it all. Friday evening, another phone call. This time they said that Zoe needed emergency surgery as she had a bad infection and without it, the outcome would be grim. Though costly in nature, we agreed to proceed with no questions asked...she's a member of the family after all. We'd figure it out.
Saturday morning, Mom and Dad went to sign the paperwork, though why the vet wouldn't let them do it Friday night or go with the verbal authorization is beyond me as they were perfectly happy to do so, and spend a little time with her before the procedure. Mom talked with her, tried to comfort her, but she could tell she was not her self....15 minutes later they ushered them out so they could take her in and begin the operation. 20 minutes later, Mom's phone rang again....just as they were preparing to take her into the operating room, Zoe passed away.
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I write this now with a heavy heart as I...we...have had to say our final farewells to two of our furry babies this year and that is two too many in my book. Why their lives are so short and ours so very long is something I'll never quite understand....but their memories will live on in our hearts and minds.
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| Best of friends - Zoe and Lucia |
Zoe was just a 10 week old fuzzy puppy that has been with us almost 10 years...January 1st would have been her 10th birthday. As she was a German Shepherd, many people thought she might be mean or vicious...but you know what? She was a gentle giant. You could sit on the floor with her and give her a BIG bear hug. She'd play tug with the littlest pups of our family, making sure they had fun without hurting a hair on their heads. Her sister, Lucia, would wander into her den sometimes and come out looking like she ran through a sprinkler, all wet and fur askew....it seems Zoe decided to give her a bath.
The memories I could share are many, but unfortunately the tears they bring to mind at this time are still too numerous as well and so I will draw this post to a close. I do ask that if you have a furry baby you be sure to give them an extra big hug today...just because...and if you have one more spare moment, click over to the two organizations below to make a free donation to help animals in need. There's no catch. No sign ups or anything else. Just simply a way to help our other furry friends out there get one step closer to the lives they truly deserve.
Thank you.
