Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Rest in Peace, Sweet Friend


I am so sad. My grand-dog Margo, who was an 11-year-old Shih Tzu, is no longer with us. My son and his wife made the difficult decision a few days before Christmas to have her put to sleep because she was suffering. She was throwing up a lot and had diarrhea for about two months and the vet suspected stomach cancer. They tried some medication but it didn't help and she lost about 25% of her body weight (which wasn't much to begin with).

The last few days, she got weaker and weaker and could no longer jump up on the bed or couch or make it down the steps from the front door to the yard.

This was the sweetest little dog I have ever known. She loved to be held in anyone's lap and I held her a lot when I would visit. When they got her as a puppy, she used to get into a lot of mischief. When no one was looking, she'd climb up on the kitchen chair, then the counter and then wander around on the counter and stove top, grazing. She always begged and when I was visiting, her mommy and daddy would say don't feed her, but I would sneak popcorn to her.

She was so gentle when the kids were babies. One time when I was visiting, Calvin who was about 6 months old was crawling around, and as he went by Margo who was sleeping on the living room carpet, he grabbed her hair on top of her head, then kept on crawling. He pulled a handful of hair right out of her head but she never made a peep.

Margo is buried behind their house in the woods, under "The Magic Tree."

My grand-dog Sadie (below), a 14-year-old Shih Tzu, and Margo were inseparable. She has a huge tumor growing on her back leg but doesn't seem to be in pain. We know she won't be around much longer either. You can tell she really misses Margo. She sniffs everywhere, looking for her. They will meet on the Rainbow Bridge soon.

5 comments:

patti haskins said...

Oh so sorry Judy. We lost our Maggie on Dec.3 and we're still mourning. So sad. I feel your and their pain. I'll keep you in my thought.
Patti

Unknown said...

I'm so sorry to learn of your loss. I know very well how our furry loved ones snuggle into our hearts. It is so painful when can no longer be with them. I lost my Rosie and Mags earlier in 2007. I still miss them terribly. (((gentle hugs to you))) You are in my thoughts and prayers.

~Janet

CastoCreations said...

I can't imagine having to deal with the loss of any of my darling dogs. I have 3, and one is getting older all the time. :( She's such a sweet girl and it makes me cry to think about her leaving us. Your write up is very beautiful.

Janice said...

So sorry to hear about your loss. That's the downside to having a pet (and the ONLY one). We do miss them terribly. Thanks for sharing your heartfelt stories. Most of us have or have had a pet and know how much they mean to us. I'm sending you light.

pollyhyper said...

My belated condolences. I'm a mommy :) to a shih tzu and I agree, they are some of the sweetest critters to walk the earth. And such a tough time of year to lose her.