Empty house...

Had to say 'goodbye' to our beloved chocolate lab, Daisy, on Saturday.

It's been a wacky week, for sure.

A dear friend was admitted 3/20 and diagnosed with lung cancer (she's the mom of my ex-boyfriend, so I've known her about 35 years...she's like a mom to me). She had a rough day on 3/28 cuz she was to get a bone scan so we could see if her cancer moved to her bones cuz she was complaining of her legs aching. She couldn't tolerate laying flat that long, so we skipped the scan, but she was so doped up, she didn't even seem like herself. She had her first round of chemo in the middle of the night (so around 1:30a on Sunday), and by the time I got there around 9:00, it was like a new person had jumped in her bed! She had color, was alert and, most importantly, her sense of humor! The dr. took one look at her and said she was going to discharge her.

All of that excitement kept me from dwelling on the events of the night before. I came home after a long day at the hospital, let Daisy out, and when I went to the door to let her in, she was standing about 3ft from it with a worried look on her face. Her right hind leg didn't look right. I carried her in (all 70lbs of her) and called the vet. Our vet was closed, so I called the 24hr vet. About that time, husband arrived home. We put her on a towel and loaded her in the backseat of the truck and all climbed in for the ride to town. I figured we'd have to put her down, but I sure didn't figure it would be two hours later. Turns out she had bone cancer. It was so bad that her leg literally crumbled from under her. We really had no choice. Becuase of her age, she wasn't a good candidate for amputation, and if the dr. splinted her, it would only be for a few days. I couldn't see any point in prolonging her life just so I could have a couple more days with her. She would have been uncomfortable and embarrassed, I'm sure.

Just 5 days earlier, I thought when she goes, my next dog would be a Giant Schnauzer. Love that breed, but Daisy REALLY made me fall in love with chocolate dawgs. Time will tell! In the meantime, I smell Daisy's kerchief (from her 3/17 trip to the groomer) and her collar for a daily reminder of her. One day I'll get rid of her pillow and clean the curtain panel over her bed that's full of dog hair.

Empty house indeed...