After she fought multiple medical issues so hard, for so long, I had to say goodbye to my much loved dog, Bailey, on Friday. It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows us, or any pet lover for that matter, that this has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
They’re Not Kidding, Denial Isn’t Just a River…
When you have so many close calls, you just start to believe that “she’ll beat this one too” - even though logically you know that sooner or later, luck will run out.
In the end, her little body just couldn’t push on any more. Our vet, who had worked tirelessly for us, coming up with solution after solution, said what I already knew, there was no more we could do for her.
Ironically, it wasn’t the congenial heart and lung problems that we’d dealt with all her life that took Bailey from me, it was tumors on her brain and lungs (and probably elsewhere too).
My Little Weirdo
Yes, you read that right, I’m calling my beloved pupster weird, in the best possible ways…Bailey was always her own dog. She wasn’t going to be defined by conventions.
She was never the least bit food motivated, what she really wanted was love and attention from people. Old, young, even wheelchairs and canes and such - things that often freak out other dogs - never mattered to Bailey. If you were a person, she loved you and expected that you would love her too. The only thing that baffled Bailey was people who would pass her by without giving her love. (Me too, for that matter!). And oh, if we went out for a walk or out to run errands and she didn’t score love from at least one person, she would visibly pout about it.