A Sad Goodbye

It is with much sadness that this post is dedicated to our May Dog, who we had to put down on February 6, less than two weeks short of her seventh birthday. She had suddenly become extremely lethargic and wouldn't eat or drink. When we took her to the vet they found a splenic mass that turned out to be hemangiosarcoma, an extremely fast-growing and highly invasive cancer. The mass was huge and she had significant internal bleeding. Surgery was considered as an option but there was a high chance she would bleed out on the table and the cancer would likely be back in less than two months. It was a very difficult decision and we are heart broken. We brought her home so we could say goodbye and she could say goodbye to the kids. By the time we got her home she couldn't even walk on her own. John carried her in her final hours and was with her when she died.

May was such a good girl. She was a wonderful companion to John and me, and the very best dog to have around our young children. We were so lucky to have her in our lives, even if it was for too short of a time. For the first year that we brought her home she peed on the floor every single time we walked in the door, no matter how short of a time we had been away. She was such a loyal dog. Every time she jumped the fence or escaped, she never ran away. We always found her on the front step, waiting for us. She would throw herself against the fence of our old house to catch a ball, and we used to love the way she would trot a victory lap after catching a far-flung Chuck-It toss.We will remember her bounding through the snow, chasing squirrels, leaping after balls, and lying at the foot of our children's cribs. She has hiked fourteeners, chased coyotes, endured countless tugs from toddlers, jumped fences to escape from the yard, and broke screens to break into the house. She ate a couch and plenty of trash in her time, but sausage and cheese were her favorite.There is a huge hole in our hearts. We imagine her fetching endless balls in doggie heaven. We love you, May Dog. Here are a few (okay, a lot) of our favorite pictures of our girl.

We adopted her from the Dumb Friends League and brought her to her new home when she was 4 months old.

 And she was a very, very spoiled dog for two years.

When Liam was born we got May her own baby, Chuck.  She loved and loved Chuck for many months,

But then he met the same fate as many other stuffed animals.

But she took to the job of big sister like a natural. She protected them as babies...

 And tolerated them as toddlers.

She put up with my ridiculous outfits without complaint.

The snow seemed to particularly bring our her best features - our lady with a beard.

We're so glad we got to say goodbye....

We'll miss you, May.