Sweet memories

Even though it's been over a year since Edith passed away, I still miss her like crazy.  To this day, I have a hard time talking about her without shedding a tear.  I know she is in a better place and is taking care of all the animals that had to leave this world.  Adam and I were ready to take in another foster, so we went to the pound to look at the dogs.  In the first pen was an old Golden/Lab mix that was brought in as a stray and was in heat stress.  We immediately knew that she had to come home with us seeing as she was a very old dog...probably around 10 or 12 years old.  We originally were going to just foster but after a few weeks, I decided that she was here to stay.  

 We made a nice comfy bed for her

 She was pretty nasty and matted so we shaved her down, and thank goodness we did because there was a big tick on her that we wouldn't have seen through her thick fur!!

 Edy and Rocko became friends...he looked after her

 Edith and Copper.

Copper was a 1 year old Beagle that needed back surgery.  She had IVDD (Intervertebral Disk Disease) which was causing her pain and unable to move her back legs.  She needed physical therapy after surgery so I fostered her until she was ready to go to a rescue or a home.  After 2 weeks of therapy, she started using her rear legs! About a month after she went to her rescue, I got a video of her WALKING!!  She was like a brand new dog! It was amazing. :)

 These two needed constant attention so I brought them to work with me all the time.  Because I worked in Emergency, it was nice having them around to help me stay awake! Especially around 4am...that seemed to be the rough hour for me! haha.  Edith never left my side.  I felt bad because she was so arthritic but HAD to be able to see me at all times so she would get up when I got up.  

This is a picture of everyone minus Justice!

After about a month of having her, she started hacking a lot.  She already had laryngeal paralysis, a big subcutaneous tumor on her neck, a dent on her head, and arthritis.  I was just hoping that it was just kennel cough.  I took xrays of her chest and found out that she had mets (cancer) in her lungs....I was devastated.  I knew from the beginning that taking in a senior dog meant that I wouldn't have a long time with her but I didn't think it would be this short.  The doctor told me that she probably would have a few months.  The only thing I could do at this point was to keep her comfortable.

Edith and I were together 24-7...she was my shadow.  She was pretty much a clinic dog too and everyone at work loved her.  She was such a silly girl...she would pretty much bite our hands off when we gave her treats, and she would do a half jump for joy just so we would give her a treat faster!  Ciera actually reminds me a lot of her.  We call Ciera "shark bite" when she gets treats because she rolls her eyes to the back of her head and  chomps down like a shark! haha.  She was also very stubborn too...she wouldn't eat her food in her run so I'd have to take her out and feed her in the room just so she wouldn't hurt herself by trying to cover it up with her nose!

I got to spend two GREAT months with her until the cancer took over.  One day, you could just see that spark in her eyes were gone.  She wouldn't eat, she was losing weight, and she couldn't get up anymore.  When I was helping her up, I felt a big mass on her liver and I knew then that she was in more pain than before.  She was on all sorts of medications to keep her comfortable but I couldn't let her suffer.  When I looked into her eyes, I could tell that she was saying that it was time and that it was ok.  I didn't want to accept it but I knew that the right thing to do was to let her go.  I brought her to work and layed on the floor with her until she left this world.  I've never had a dog affect my life so much like Edith in such a short amount of time.  It was like I've had her her whole life.  Her loyalty to me and the love and affection she showed me will never be forgotten.  Because of her, Adam and I always look for senior dogs in need of homes. People always look past the senior dogs because they don't want to get attached to a dog that may only have a few months or years and it's really unfortunate.  I think they are the best!  It really takes a toll on you though...it's rewarding and heartbreaking at the same time. I'm just glad that I got to spend quality time with Edith.  She really was a special dog!  All the good memories I have of her will last forever. I hope to adopt another senior dog sometime in the near future!

I love and miss you Edith, every single day!