Big Dog Has Cancer

I am crying as I write this. No matter if she bit you or growled at you she has been a good dog. She has protected those she loves. I am talking about Duchess. She has bone cancer. Amputation isn't really an option because of her size and age. Chemo costs thousands of dollars. She is on medicine that seems to be keeping her comfortable and she still wags her tail so we will leave it at that till something changes. Then she will join the other animals wagging tails as they wait for us. I believe there are animals in heaven.
I had to remember other animals who have meant so much to me. My first memory is of Sammy, the Siamese cat we had in Japan. I have spent all my life trying to find cats to measure up to her even though I have such vague memories. The dog I remember most from my youth was Velvet, Mom's best friend for a number of years. We got her to replace a dog Mom had when Dad was in Vietnam. Isn't it funny how we get animals trying to replace holes left in our hearts.
That is why we got Duchess. For years Dave has tried to replace the first Duchess, a black mutt I don't even remember where we got. She would run away exploring and the only way to get her home was to drive around in the car calling for her. She would come running and jump in the car for the ride home. All the others since have loved riding in cars. First we got Mia, a Keeshund. The milk delivery guy at the minimart where I worked gave her to us. She bonded with me. One of the saddest days of my life was when I took her to the animal shelter and told them I couldn't keep her anymore. She kept me company during the day. She ate at one knee and Matt ate at the other when he learned to stand. She developed hip trouble and started nipping at Matt. We had to get rid of one or the other. I cried and told her how I loved her. I hope maybe she got a good home. (I don't have any proof they put her down, Jennifer)
Then we got Princess, a lab, when we got back from Penn. We got her from Donald's cousin. She drove me crazy rubbing along the wall a leaving a dirt border. She lived a great life in Fla and enjoyed Ga till her time came. Donald and Ryan took her on her last ride. I will always be grateful to Ryan for helping Donald with that.
Then there are the cats. Tia, who came to us through two little girls ringing the doorbell and asking "Can you take my cat? We can't keep her anymore." She was a siamese. I'll never forget the time we were sitting in the living room and she came flying off the roof outside. She was lost for two weeks in Ga at one time. She finally used her last life when she was hit by a car. Jen had to handle that by herself because I was out of town.
Finally, there was Kitty. We got her with the house. She was my companion when I was pregnant with Timothy. Don't you think animals know sometimes when you just need them near? She stayed indoors until we got the dogs and then she decided to live outside. She would visit Granddaddy alot. One day Donald found her laying by the fence in the yard. He said she had no damage so we aren't sure what happened.
There have been others; Bob the cat, the kitten lost on the way to New Jersey, Cotton the dog; I am sure each of you have a list. Each time we say we are not getting another animal. I bet we will, but not to replace the ones we lost. We just need another one to love us without asking for anything in return except a little food and a little pat on the head.