Sweet, Sweet Sophie - Furry White With Caramel Brown Laced With Black

February 17, 2014 was a very sad day indeed. My sweet, sweet Sophie- 15 years old- had to be put to sleep. For the past couple of years, she had started to decline. Was basically deaf, blind from cataracts, we had to keep pee pads down because if you didn't let her out within 3 seconds of waiting at the sliding glass door, she'd go over to the same place and pee. At least she was consistent and not incontinent! And, she had doggie dementia. She knew her way around the furniture, but mostly slept as older dogs do. When I came home at 2am from work, she would jump about and be excited like her younger self. And, ADORED cat food! She never wavered from her mission of licking the cat bowls clean, hovering over the cats until they finished eating. I remembered how vibrant she once was, but those memories weren't triggered until I looked at the old photos of her. For too long we could no longer go to the beach she so desperately loved. Instead, we went to the Pitt Street Bridge with a child's wagon to place her in when her legs started to flag. Fortunately, I started her on the crock pot diet- homemade dog food- which slimmed her down, alleviating her arthritis. But, she still tired easily. She had forgotten how to play tug-of-war and to wrestle, which broke my heart, but when I'd come home in the early morning she'd kind of remember and would throw herself down on one shoulder and wriggle about. Then, on a Sat, even though the back door was open, she peed then pooped on the pads. "Back door's open" I said, though I knew she couldn't hear me. She walked over to the carpet, threw up and collapsed. She'd had stomach problems in the past, so her laying listlessly about wasn't too unusual. I just wasn't sure if she'd bounce back given her age. On Monday morning, I knew she was dying- especially when her urine was a very dark brown. Yet! She managed to get up and walk to the stairs in an attempt to climb up them to where KitKat's bowl sat. Cat food hunting till the end. I picked her up, lay her down and she never arose again. She was anemic and had an enlarged spleen and liver. And, didn't have long for this world. So, I stayed, whispering in her ear, stroking her fur while she slipped into her final sleep.....I will miss you, you silly, neurotic, always a smile on your face, (that sweet, sweet face) Sophie.