Dogs on Thursday...almost Friday!

I have joined Dogs on Thursday so I am writing about my canine friends each Thursday. This Thursday is almost over but I couldn't get here any faster.

I thought I would start off with a tribute to a pup that has left us. She was with us for just a few short months but she was the absolute best puppy and an angel from above. We called her Chelsea.
A friend of my daughter Megan knew a breeder that was going to put this pup down because she was the runt and the other puppies would bite her and her own mom bite off half her fluffy tail!

So, we rescued her at 4 weeks old and feed her puppy mush with milk and loved her and played with her. We had another Golden Retriever at the time (that is what Chelsea was) and she would lick her and love her and tolerate it when Chelsea would bite onto her tail and Holly would run around with Chelsea flapping away at the back. She was so funny and happy, and loved to sleep curled up on my son's bed. Her head would pop up at the window whenever he came home. Everyone on the block and in the park knew Chelsea. She was sweet and gentle. So petite and pretty. Such a young lady, and so dignified. So we settled down into a routine of walking and playing and rescuing Holly from her mischievous attacks.....until one day Chelsea fell over after a romp in the park. We took her to the vets (specialists too) and no one could find anything wrong. So this would happen whenever she got over taxed. We called it her "jelly legs". We were very concerned and decided to take her back to the vet again. Still nothing found. Around about when she turned 8 mos. old Chelsea started having breathing trouble and would not eat. We rushed her to the vet specialists and they keep her over night for observations and to see how they could help her. We came back the next day and the Doctor told us that Chelsea had a malformed heart valve that would pump her blood backwards in her heart. The blood would back up and then overflow into her lungs and liver. There was nothing they could do. We were stunned to say the least. They don't do heart transplants on dogs they said, put her to sleep they said. So we took her home for a farewell to everyone which was so painful it physically hurt. My 17 year old son wept and hugged her and said goodbye. I went with my husband to have her sent to heaven. I though I could stay but I couldn't. I hugged her as she lay so quietly on the table and took in deep long breaths of her so I would always remember what she smelt like....Vanilla sugar cookies. I left the room sobbing, about five minutes latter my husband came out. We left her there for private cremation.

I will always remember Chelsea and how brave she was and how she taught me about courage and loyalty. My son will always remember her because she was the first great loss in his young life and my husband who loved her so dearly and walked her and feed her, and played with her, will never forget the little pup that came to us one summer and only stayed for a season.

Since then we have lost our "other girl", Holly. She lived a long happy life and left us after 15 years. I have happy memories of Holly and her life with us. She was one great girl. So calm and sweet natured. I think that is why she loved Chelsea so much. She never had puppies but Chelsea brought out the Mother in her. So much love and happiness mixed with so much sadness. We swore no more dogs....but as those of you who have read my blog before know that there is another pup in the house and his name is Oliver. Check next week for his next great adventure!