Down to Five

This afternoon three of us are making a sad trip to the vet; only two of us will return home. The time has come for our eldest dog, Heidi, to go to sleep forever. She's had a long life -- she's nearly 17 years old. She has spent nearly 14 of those years as part of our family.

We adopted her when she was approximately 3 years old from the local humane society. She had been the companion of a homeless person who was arrested for some reason. (Who knows? Maybe for being homeless!) She had obviously had a rough life because, even though she's a large shepherd-collie mix, she was very timid and fearful. The first few years with us she would cower anytime someone raised their voice, spoke in an animated fashion or made abrupt moves.

While she has remained a bit fearful for all these years, no one outside of our family is aware of this. The reason? She's a barker. If you came anywhere near the fenced back yard or the house, you would think she was an aggressive attack dog. She would bark and charge the front door or fence. Many of my neighbors over the years have been scared of her.

However, if you came into our home or back yard, you would soon learn that the loud barking down really was a chicken. If Della or I was present, she would run and hide behind us. If we weren't present, she would try to get away from you as far and as quickly as possible.

The first time my dad came to visit us in Salem, Oregon, offers a good example. As my dad approached the front door, Heidi went berserk. She sounded as if she would charge through the front door to maul my dad to death. However, as soon as we opened the front door to greet my dear pa, Heidi hightailed it to the back corner of the back bedroom.

I tried to coax her to come out to meet father. She wouldn't budge. Instead, she tried to bury her head and as much of her body as possible under a dresser. I finally had to walk her out while firmly holding her collar. She very sheepishly allowed my dad to pat her on the head and, when I released my grip on her collar, she hightailed it right back to the bedroom!

Of all the pets who have passed on recently -- Becca, Scruffy & Mookie -- Heidi has been the least social. She kind of keeps to herself most of the time...hmm...not unlike me!! Still, she is the matriarch of our household and things won't seem the same without her here.

So, why have we made the painful decision to have her euthanized? Over the last two years, she has lost most of her eyesight and hearing. Re the latter, you have to stand within 5 feet of her and yell loudly for her to respond. As with many dogs of her breed type, she has developed problems with her back hips. She has difficulty walking, can no longer run and rather easily tips over.

However, the final straw is that she is now losing bladder control. She pees on herself AND whatever she happens to be laying on.

After today, we will only have three (down from six) animal companions: Dylan (10 year old cat), 'Lil Bit (3 1/2 year old one-eyed cat) and Jasmine (2 year old dog). All three of them will be a bit discombobulated for next few weeks, but Jasmine will suffer the most as she has become very attached to her big sissy.

It's always tough to say goodbye to a longtime friend, be they human or otherwise. However, sometimes the most humane thing to do IS to say goodbye when that time comes. For us, that time is now and so we say goodbye to Heidi who has been a cherished friend and loyal companion.

Rest in peace, old girl.