Tuesday, June 5, 2007

We knew she was getting old...

In October of 1996 I adopted a dog from the rescue shelter I was working at temporarily. The administrator bent the 3 month working before you could adopt rule for me because I was a temp employee. I'm so glad she did. for the past 10 and a half years I have shared my life and my space with a sweet Border Collie, named Lady. She has spent more time with me than my husband who is on the road. I was never alone, I always had Lady. She went with me on road trips, out to the barn, for walks around town.

For the last 3 years she has been slowing down, only showing short bursts of energy here and there, but fully enjoying our move to a 16 acre farm in January '06. For the last 3 weeks she has been unable to walk on the hard floor without help and I have been carrying her in and out the back steps, we where wrestling with that decision. I never thought taking a pet to a place they where afraid as your last act of kindness seemed to quite be the right way to let them go. I was hoping to avoid that trip. Lady made that choice on Saturday. I think she really let go on Friday night, after my husband came home. I always figured she would wait for him to come home on a weekend, and she did. No last visit to the scary vet. Just a peaceful passing.

She is buried not far from where this picture was taken, in the place I like to call our orchard. 

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10 comments:

  1. What a sweet post. I'm glad she got to go that way without the traumatic vet office, etc. It sounds like she had a pretty great life.

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  2. I like to think she did, she was literally rescued from "death row". and she was just such a sweet dog. She was a good girl. I cant imagine sending her to the pound. When I got her she did need to have heart worm treatment. I can only guess someone made the decision based on money.

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  3. (hugs) I believe that sometimes pets know when they can "go". It sounds like she had a wonderful life with you and gave as much as she received. I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm glad that you didn't have to intervene.

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  4. This is a wonderful post. When I was a kid we had a dog named Lady. We only had her for a little while before we moved to another house and couldn't take her along. My folks said she was going to a farm, where she could run free. I certainly hope so.

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  5. We are not investigating a getting a new dog, I figure one will "find us" like your story someone who needs to give a dog to a good home with lots of room. And we will be able to keep a dog from going to the pound.

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  6. Beautiful post. You were a great dog-mammy. Beautiful dog, too.

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  7. Thank You, we have already had to inquiries about taking on a new dog...we are thinking.

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