It’s been five weeks since I last snuggled with her. As I gaze upon her grave in the backyard, there is such a yearning to see her again. I believe God put dogs on this earth to show mankind what unconditional love is all about. Let me explain.

Two years ago as I was undergoing treatment for cancer, I was racked with nausia and vomiting after chemo. I would be stretched out over my bed, sick and weary. Vida would sit on my bed with me, sometimes licking tears off my face as I complained how aweful I felt. Weeks turned into months, and my lethargic body lay limp with fatigue. And then there was Vida-stretched out next to me, snuggling closer and closer by the hours. She was a vital dog, strong and powerful. Her breed was a Presa Canarie Mastif, rumored to be a violent type of dog. But Vida was gentle and powerfully loyal, and I loved her so much. She could have been playing and romping in the backyard, but she stayed by my side like a loving friend. There were times I would swear she could read both my feelings and my thoughts. The sicker I was, the closer she became.

Animals don’t demand much. Just returned love, food, water and shelter. In turn, they give so much more. When I looked into her eyes, I could feel the love she returned to me.

Three months before her death, she was diagnosed with acute renal failure. She was only seven years old, so the diagnosis was hard to take. We expected to have her five to seven years longer. She was nursed by my daughters and son, as well as us. She had IV drips and a special diet. She never complained. She went between my home and my daughters home. We worked closely with our vet to help expand her life as long as possible. For awhile, she didn’t even seem sick. But then the day came when she could not eat or drink water. She was sick and nauseaded and threw up anything we tried to feed her. The doctor did blood work, and comfirmed the worse.

We knew we had only one thing left we could do for her. We placed her in my bed, the same bed where she layed with me through my sickness, and made her comfortable. We gave her eyedroppers of water and snuggled closely with her. We looked into her intent eyes and sent her love. We talked to her, and whispered affectionate words of gratitude to her. Someone was with her for the next few days around the clock. She was never alone. The final morning arrived, and each one in the family sat on the bed rubbing her sick body. The tears began to fall. She was too weak this time to lick them, but she gazed at us in loving thankfulness. The time had come for the doctor to injet her with the medicine that would end her final day. With heavy hearts, we watched as the morphine did its job. Her body was lifeless. She was gone. My son wrapped her in her favorite blanket, and lifted her body from the bed.
Her grave had been dug. Jesse gently walked her down to her final resting place. It was over. She was gone from us, but remains in our hearts forever. She was a blessing from God, a gift to show our family what unconditional love really looked like.

Related to the article–I took him to the vet for cremation.

Anraiki’s last blog post..What Twitter can really do for YOU

Dennis, I wish that you were right. How great would that be?

Dennis the Vizsla’s last blog post..I Been Locked Out

To be honest I am not too happy I even wrote the post. I have been thinking about Sam all day. It is tough when you think about your best buddy not being with you any more.

megscole64’s last blog post..Discouraging Growth