For the last 11 years we've had a great family dog. We adopted her from Golden Retriever Rescue when she was 2 years old. As a young dog, she had so much life and energy. She loved to bark at the mailman, the UPS man as well as anyone else who happened to knock at the door. I think she must have had some traumatic experiences in her first two years. She loved to go for walks and play in the canal by the farm. When the boys played in it on hot summer days she loved to get in with them and swim along. She also loved to lick the dishes in the dishwasher. I hated it when she did that because she pushed the plates out of their spots. I knew the water was hot enough to kill her doggie germs but it meant I had to reload the dishwasher after she was finished. It did eliminate the need to rinse the dishes though.
We worried how she would take it when we go Sophie. She didn't like our friends Shih Tzu so we were a little worried. The first day or two she was a little hesitant but before long they were together all the time. They would curl up together to sleep. Even when we had the puppies last November and then kept Izzy around, she always loved the little dogs.
The last few years her age has really started to show. She had arthritis and struggled with getting up and down the stairs on the back deck. About a year ago she started getting bald spots on her back and although it isn't a very pleasant thing to share, she started having terrible gas. I always told people she was rotting from the inside out. It really smelled bad! We knew we would finally have to put her to sleep but wanted to wait until Robbie got back from his mission. Once he got home, we kept talking about it, but struggled actually making the decision.
Finally on Monday Ted and I took her to the vet where they put her to sleep. It was sooo hard! I still tear up just thinking about it. I could tell she was ready to go because she just relaxed and within 10 seconds the vet checked for a pulse and said, "She's gone." I'm glad it was so peaceful for her. Ted had a spot down at the farm where he buried her.
It's hard to let go, but I'm just grateful for the good years we enjoyed with her. Zac referred to her as "the best doggone dog in the west!" (Any Old Yeller fans out there?) She was a part of our family and we'll certainly miss her!
