My Pattykins... ;_; (x-posted from LJ and DA)

[sparkler]

Patty Snowball

1994 - June 19th, 2009.
Adopted on Oct 30th, 1994

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be... "

Patty had been getting sick, but was getting better until 6PM yesterday. Then she came in at the door, and fainted. We thought she was dead then, but the old girl laid there for about 15 minutes, then got back up and wanted back up in her chair. Even so, I knew then that something was dreadfully, dreadfully wrong. I would've taken her to the vet, but my vet closes at 5 and the closest emergency vet is 60 miles away. So we gave her her medicine and tried to make do until we could get her to the vet. She slept a little, and was even eating and drinking up until a couple of hours before she died, but in the end... I think her heart gave out. Around 1:45 I noticed that she had stopped making any noise. I was like "oh, she's just asleep!" at first but when Patty sleeps, she snores. She hasn't NOT snored since she was a puppy. So I went over and called her, Patty always jerks awake when you call her, no matter how sleepy she is.

No response.

I tried again, even lifted up one of her paws, but.. nothing. I knew it, my Pattykins was dead.

Or, as Doghouse Chronicles (my novel) might phrase it: "The Honorary is now back in the Queen's Court."

I'm sure she's living it up, free of pain and breathing problems with Eva, and Bonie, and Buddy, and Xena.... and my Grandparents (LOL, she finally got to meet my Grandad, he would've loved her.) and my Late Auntie. God, she outlived EVERYBODY. But.. today was her turn.

I'll miss my little Pattykins. I remember the day I got her, and I initially had my doubts cuz she was a poodle. I'd been told they were yappy, annoying little dogs. But seriously? She proved me wrong. Yes, she was yappy (she had a loud, piercing bark) but she never barked or whined unless she wanted something. That's something I'll admire about Patty, she was always loud and pushy enough to get what she wanted. It might be annoying, but after she got what she wanted... she was happy! And she let you be happy for the rest of the day.

Patty never met a stranger. She loved everybody and she made sure that those people knew it. The minute you walked in the door, she'd jump all over you and bark and demand attention, no, she wasn't perfectly well-behaved but.. you know... neither am I. So like owner, like poodle, I guess. She was so sweet, and brave... there wasn't much that scared that dog, honestly. When a giant dog would come in the yard she would bark and "scream" at them from the windows, "GET OFF MY LAWN!" is what I could figure out she was saying. My Mom always referred to her as a "Rottweiler Poodle". Once, a year after we first got her, she saved me from a wasp. I don't know if I've ever told the story here or not. My Mom nor Grandmother was home at the time and a wasp got in my room, I'm allergic to bee stings so I FLED. I had left Patty in my room because I thought, "Well, she's a dog, it won't bother her."

Around 15 minutes later, I heard this loud "GRROWWLF!" and I was like, "Oh no, what if it stung her? D:" because I've heard dogs can be allergic too, and I didn't want to lose my new puppy 6 months into getting her, you know? Well bless your life, the thing had came at her and she had RIPPED ITS WINGS OFF! I was able to kill it with a shoe because of her. She was such a good baby... the day Bonie died, I came to her chair and while I cried she wrapped both her little paws around my arm and squeezed. Ever since then, she always did that. When I'd pet her and rub her belly she would place her little paw on my arm... it's hard to believe that I'll never feel that again. ;_; Even last night, when I came to check on her I smashed my foot pretty hard against the door facing and while I screamed in agony (it hurt!) she looked over at me and was like, "Aw, are you okay hon?"

My poor baby...

It doesn't seem right that I'll never see her again... and I regret that she died before I finished book 2, or, was actually a successful author... but maybe one day I'll get to see her again.

-§parky

[caelum]

I'm really, really sorry Sparkler. It's always hard to loose a pet. But it seems she led a good long (15 years?!? SERIOUSLY?!?) life, with a lot of love and happiness.

I once read something somewhere by a vet who had to put down an old, sick dog. The owners consisted of a couple and their four-year-old son, and they refused to leave the dog's side until the deed was done. As they were saying goodbye to their pet, the adults complained about animals having such short lifespans compared to humans--after all, they have just as much character and personality and capability of emotion as we do, so it doesn't seem fair. The little boy, however, easily explained why it was so. "Well, the whole point for living is to be nice and help other people feel better and be happy, right?" he said. At his parents' and the vet's nods, he concluded, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't need to be here as long."

[BrightGlow]

I'm really sorry to hear that.

[sparkler]

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, she lived 15 years, with us, but we think she was already 16. When we got her at the pound, she was reported to be 9 months old, but my Mom thought she was only 6 months old, which would've made her a May baby. So probably sometime, either in March (if she was 9 months when we got her) or May (if she was 6 months, like my Mom's theory says) she probably turned 16.

I'll miss her so badly. In fact I've almost heard her a couple of times... but... I know she's in a better place and pain-free. I keep expecting to see her when I walk into a room, it's so hard. I'm glad that she got to die at home, around us, and I'm glad I was with her when she went... to know she wasn't alone helps a lot. Still, I miss her like crazy...

Thanks again guys... your kind words really mean a lot. ;_;

-§parky

[anna]

;_;
[hugs to the nth power]

[sunstar]

I feel for you, Sparkler! I know what it is like to lose a dearly loved pet, as I've lost a dearly loved pet myself.

When I was ten years old, I got a pair of four week old kittens for my birthday. I loved them dearly. they were Siameze/tabby cross. I took care of them, getting up at all hours to feed them their eye droper full of milk and helping them go to the bathroom. one kitten, Scamper, was thriving. he was eating solid foods at six weeks, and was off milk at seven weeks. his brother, Licorice, (yes, the same Licorice that I showed you the picture of) remained tiny and scrawny. the Vet told us that he may not survive the coming winter. That winter was very cold and harsh. our furnace broke down and it took nearly two months to get it fixed because of the snow. we got nearly 4'5 feet of snow that year. We spent ost of the time huddled under blankets, trying to stay warm. it also helped that we had two fireplaces, both buring. unfortunatly, they aren't the kind where you flip a switch and get a fire. I kept my kittens close to me. Scamper by this time was nearly twice the size of Licorice and was already eating and using his catbox on his own. Scamper loved the snow. it was the only time he ever wanted outside. When spring finaly came, Licorice was still with us. he had grown and was thriving. flash forward seven years. Scamper was at 23 pounds and fat. He was the greeter, greeting everybody as they came into the house. Licorice was the terror, getting outside, shreding everything he could get his claws on, terrorizing the neighbors huge mastiff, (Which was pretty funny, watching this huge dog cowering from a cat) and being obnoxious. one morning, Scamper wasn't on the banister, waiting to greet the daycare kids and their parents as they came in. We found cat vomit everywhere, and we found Scamper under a bed, surrounded by more vomit. I gave him a bit of catnip and hairball tonic, hoping to help settle his stomach, but that came back up too. that afternoon, he started vomiting blood. My sister and I rushed him to the vet, who found that he was severly dehydrated. he was givin intravenous fluids, and the vet checked for a blockage. other then a tear in the wall of his stomach, everything looked fine. Scamper did better and came home over theweek end. this was the week end we all went to the mariner game. sunday night, he was vomiting again. monday morning, he was vomiting blood. we took him back to the vet, and the next morning, he died. the vet did a necropsy on him, and Scamper had a rare disease where his liver never grew. instead, it was surrounded by a layer of fat. this dease is so rare that before Scamper, there were only five known cases with Scamper being the sixth. we had licorice checked out and he doesn't have the disease. Scamper was burried under the tree in the front yard. after that, Licorice spent days laying at the garage door, crying. he cried so much he lost his voice. I grieved for weeks, until my dad brought home a scrawny four week old kitten from work. this gray and white kitten was so scrawny and tiny that he was all bones. the vet thought he wouldn't last through the weekend. mom went and brought home a healthy eight week old kitten from a friend who breeds cats for a living. flash forward five years to the present. We have three very healthy adult cats. Katie Jane, the kitten mom broght home, Rascal, the kitten no one thought would live, and Licorice, their proud older brother.

We live in a big place where our kitties get to go outside into the backyard with us. they love it here. it will get better over time. one of the things that helped me was getting Rascal. it was hard, but I learned to love him. Scamper may be gone in body, but he is definetely there in spirit. Animals don't die. they lose their earthly forms.

[sparkler]

I'd like to thank everybody for their kind words, they have really helped over these past few days. *hugs to everybody* I'm taking it slow. The first night I couldn't sleep because she slept in the chair in my room and when I looked over and saw it empty I just burst into tears. I couldn't bear to see it empty. Even now, sometimes I think I'll see her curled up out of the corner of my eye in that chair. I still feel her with me though... and that's a good feeling.

She'll live on in the Doghouse Chronicles novel series, and soon I'm going to do a page on that site telling about all the animals in my book who were indeed real, honest-to-God animals, and she'll be the first one that I do. I wish that I could have done it while she was alive, though. I meant to, it just seems that everything got in the way.

I still feel her with me, and that's a comforting feeling. I know that someday, I'll walk into a room and she'll be there waiting for me, and that day... we won't ever have to say goodbye. Until then, I have some great memories. About how she loved cats (especially little kittens... I swear, that's the only dog on earth who wanted to have kittens when she grew up instead of puppies. XD), and cows, and donkeys... she loved everything and everybody. It was like, the second we got her out of that pound she made it up in her mind that she was going to be the happiest little dog on earth, and she succeeded. Never have I met such a happy, sweet little dog.

I'm glad I could save her in the first place, because she truly turned out to be one of the best dogs I've ever had. Maybe one day I'll be able to save another little dog like her... I'd like to.

-§parky

[sunstar]

It was like that for me with Scamper, too. The thing i miss the most about Scamper was his messages he gave me on the shoulders every night. when ever I was doupled over with cramps, Scamper was there, waiting to lend a loving paw and a warm body against the area that hurt. it will get better, life goes on. (Returns hug) I feel your grief.