I’m sorry that the stories have stopped here. I was excited to restart this blog.
I stopped posting because my dogs died — the first one in May and the second in October. I wish that I could describe to you the role that they played in my life.
They waited patiently for me to come home from the hospital each time.
They were weird and hilarious, bringing us much joy through 10 rounds of surgery for me, the husband’s crazy workplace, and every aspect of our life.
They were in such terrible condition when we adopted them that a volunteer pulled me aside and said that it was unlikely that Dottie would survive. They were bone thin and wild and, as litter mates, had been together since birth.
Cassie had been abused in such a way that her heart was simply broken. She spent the first six months in what could only be described as grief. She refused to let either of us touch her during this time. After about six months, she would let me touch her, but it was another year before the husband could touch her.
Cassie was the best dog with the loudest voice. When she was ready to let us in, she did everything asked of her. She became my shadow, following me everywhere I went. While she never really got used to being petted, she would let us pet her head and ears — but never her belly.
Dottie was a completely different story. I was pretty sure that she couldn’t see. She would go through these “events” that I came to call “fritzing.” After an event, she would forget her name, where she was, and that she needed to potty outside. She was five years old before she began to remember her name and not to potty. She was afraid of nearly everything except Cassie.
A few years ago, we found out that Dottie had cancer. We took her to the Vet hospital to find out our options. They did a CAT scan and called Animal Control. Someone had horrifically abused Dottie. She had significant brain damage, heart damage, and many, many remodeled bones. Our Vet intervened for us, and she was able to return home to us.
Cassie died in May from organ failure, likely due to the condition she was in when we got her. We assumed that Dottie would pass right away, but we were given the gift of five wonderful months of spoiling Dottie.
By October, they were gone.
Everything seemed to fall apart — and I stopped thinking about sharing on this blog.
I’m hoping to get back to writing here. Thank you for your patience.
