Well, Speckles made her last trip to the Vet yesterday. She apparently burst a bunch of blood vessels on one side of her heart and wasn't expected to last through the weekend. She did, and made it almost two more days before I knew it was time.
She came into my life almost 11 years ago as a two year old rescue. She picked me out at PetsMart. Every time she heard my voice, she went nuts in her fenced in area. She had to see me and she had to be near me. Yes, I took her home.
She was a Whippet mixed with a Dalmation, mixed with some sort of a terrier. She didn't have a doggy odor (thanks to the Whippet). But, she had been abused, starved and abandoned.
She never got over the starvation. She was on a Verna-imposed diet for most of her life. She just learned last year how to upset the kitchen trash to check out the contents (who said you couldn't teach an old dog new tricks????).
Ten years ago she tried to protect my house from a burgular, who did hit her. She never got over strange noises coming from the back door--I could raise her hackles by coming into the house quietly.
She came to me housebroken. I can honestly say that she made two messes in my house in 11 years--both of them came the day after she had a cortisone shot, and both were excused.
A few years ago, she beat the odds. She tore both of her CCL's (the equivilent of a human's ACL) in her back legs. I was so afraid that I was going to lose her. I couldn't work and care for a dog who couldn't walk. But, she surprised the Vet, myself, my family. She pulled through and was able to walk.
She was above all, my best friend. Always unconditional love from her, always a wag of that tail, that lethal weapon when I had a sore on my leg, always those ears that perked when something interesting was around.
Her only downfall was her fur. The Vet and her groomer always said they had never seen a dog shed like she did. If you met her, you knew you had been "Speckled" by her--she left at least one hair on you. I smiled when I pulled out my iPhone this morning and one hair was on it.
I'm without a pet for the first time in my adult life. It's quiet in here. Oh yes, I'll have another one...soon, but not this week. Give me some time here and I'll have a puppy, another to be my best friend.
So, anyway, thanks for the memories, Speckles. You were a good girl to the end. I'm sure you've already found Mother, Sunshine and Sammie Two fishing, and the four of you are on that boat together.
Verna