My Furry Friend

My little dog Susie is very sick. (You can see a picture of her in her usual position on my website under Writing Space.)

She's been with us for 11 years. We found her at an animal shelter in 1998, where she'd been dropped off. She was ill, filthy and had been abused. It took her 6 months to make up with my DH, who loves dogs and is the gentlest of men. If one of us put on a ball cap, she'd go into spasms. Somewhere out there, there's a meany-head in a ball cap. She had no idea what to do with a dog toy or a bone. She wouldn't play at first. She was like a puppy-cipher.

But Susie's personality came back. She learned to love and trust my DH. She began to frisk around. She still doesn't pay any attention to toys, but she loves us and paws the air to greet us when we've been gone for more than 15 minutes. She's been very easy-going about change, making 4 different moves with us. She asks nothing more of life than to spend her days snugged up in the "writing chair" with me.

She's been getting more frail in the past years. Sometimes, her back legs don't seem to do what she wants them to. The people at the pound said her previous owners told them she was about 5 at the time of her drop-off. The vet we took her to said her teeth seemed much older, so there's no telling how old she is now. We always say at least 16.

She's had a bad week with frequent accidents, which is not like her. Yesterday was particularly bad and last night, I couldn't let her sleep at the foot of our bed as usual because she kept wanting to go out every 15 minutes (quite a production when you live in a condo), whether she had any reason to go once she got there or not. After the fourth time out, I put her in her puppy carrier, so my DH and I could get a little sleep. It broke my heart to hear her cry.

I'm making an appointment with her vet today and I'm afraid it may be "that visit." The one where we have to decide. I don't want her to suffer and this week she has. Her little body seems to be wearing out. But if she's just got a GI bug, maybe they can help her. She's bounced back from illness before.

Please say a little prayer for Susie. Do you have a pet?