With Friends Like This, Who Needs People?

Right now I am thinking of my sweet little dog who has been loyally by my side for these last 10 years. She has seen me at my best and worst and never once judged me (well, once in awhile she made me feel ashamed of myself).

She is slowing down a lot, showing signs of discomfort, walking like an old russian babushka with arthritis in every joint. Her back legs are starting to give out and we've notice episodes of confusion settle over her. She has been well treated by the vet, all options taken in consideration.

I'm not one to let nature take its course if nature has sunk her claws in. I want to treat her as humanely as I would like to be treated, which means not dragging out months and months of pain in order to not have to deal with my own feelings of grief or loss. I thought today was going to be the day but she's not ready quite yet. She will tell me when she is.


Comments

  1. Debra She Who SeeksJanuary 21, 2021 at 6:11 AM

    Sophie has a sweet little face! She trusts you to not let her suffer unnecessarily and you will not let her down.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Marie SmithJanuary 21, 2021 at 6:28 AM

    Such a tough decision. I feel for you and that sweet pup.

    ReplyDelete
  3. anne marie in phillyJanuary 21, 2021 at 7:32 AM

    awwwwwwwwwww, precious furkid. sophie will let you know when she is ready to cross the rainbow bridge.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ColetteJanuary 21, 2021 at 8:27 AM

    So hard! Sending lots of love your way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Margaret (Peggy or Peg too)January 21, 2021 at 11:15 AM

    Oh Sophie. I so understand this. I'm sorry though that you have to deal with this painful transition.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BillJanuary 22, 2021 at 11:54 AM

    A tough decision indeed but you'll know when it is the right time. I used to worry about that but our animals knew when they were ready. Hugs to you both.

    ReplyDelete
  7. JeanieJanuary 23, 2021 at 6:15 AM

    They do tell you. And it is so, so hard when they do. But I remember my vet saying, "letting go is the one gift we can give them." And that helped a little. And in time, a lot. I wish we could do that for the people we loved, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda devJanuary 23, 2021 at 12:23 PM

      Oh me too Jeanie. We are kinder to our pets than we are to our loved ones in transition.

      Delete

Post a Comment

What do you have to say about that?

Popular posts from this blog

A Journey To Home

Image
My tender hearted girl decided she wanted to foster an old lady. Selkie is 14, is nearly deaf and nearly blind, has a hard time walking and uses her bark to get her needs met.  She got her home, took her for a bath and then basically loved this old girl for three weeks until the property manager decided that it wasn’t a good match (barking too much AND because she is a pit bull).  My girl knew it was probably temporary but she gave that dog a comfortable loving home, away from the chaos of the shelter, for a short time.  Ideally, she would have walked her home but that’s not how it worked this time.  Last night she stood and ugly cried on a strangers shoulder after giving her back.  I love that girl and her sweet heart.  I wish Selkie a new final home full of love. 
Read more

Private Eye

Image
We pass by the house frequently since it sits on a busy thoroughfare. We know to look every time we pass and guess what will we see. Will it be the two Dalmatians, sitting on the couch that backs up to the giant panel window, waiting for their human to come home? Or will it be their human, sitting slightly to the right of middle (allowing for a better view of the giant mounted tv across the room) of the said couch. They are never there at the same time. It’s one or the other. One sleepless night, when my body was willing but my brain was not, I did a little sleuthing. It’s amazing what you can find out about a complete stranger.   His name is Gary and, from what I can tell, he’s never been married. He has worked his way up in a air duct company. He’s now the senior VP but it’s a small company and he still goes out on jobs, judging from  the reviews on Yelp. I know he has two siblings and that their father passed away in 2018. His memorial was held in a Buddhist temple and Gary...
Read more

Go!

Image
 Vai. E, se der medo, vai con medo mesmo. When one is raised in an angry family, it’s not enough to say I don’t want to be angry. You must learn how to do it differently. That’s no easy task. If judgment and self hatred became a way of life, a new way to live has to be taught. There are many ways to do it. Reading, writing, sharing, practicing all help the change. Counseling, psychoanalysis, religion, meditation, gratitude, have the ability to transform but I needed to see it in action, it needed to be more tangible, visual, accessible. I needed to understand the possibilities. There is a YouTube channel that I watch over and over again in order to absorb how to live more fully, more open and from the heart. One of the first episodes that I stumbled on is this…. The channel is Reflections of Life and through it we get to meet people who are doing life a little differently, often more soul based. People who are living life, healing wounds and finding what is truly important.  I...
Read more