Tuesday, July 29, 2014

A Rendezvous at the Rainbow Bridge

It was a very sad day today! A member of our family passed away around 4:30 PM this afternoon.  Katy was a sweet Dalmatian/Pointer mix and Tegan's loyal companion for ten years.  Her vet in Georgia told Tegan back in early 2013 that Katy wouldn't make it through the Summer, but she made it one year past that mark. 

She was such a pretty dog!  Here's a picture of her in a red bandana that I took back in mid-March of this year:

Katy in her Red Scarf

She was such a happy dog and was always smiling!

She had hip dysplasia and ended up getting osteoarthritis in her shoulders.  It started getting bad several months ago.  Although Tegan got her some medicine from the vet,  she deteriorated rapidly over the last few weeks to the point where she was falling and couldn't get up.  She also become incontinent, which was getting very difficult to handle.

We planned to board her at the usual doggie kennel during an upcoming weekend trip to Galveston.  Unfortunately, the owner of the kennel informed Tegan that Katy's health was too bad for her to continue to board there.  We tried to hold on to her as long as humanely possible, but Tegan came to the realization on Monday that it was time to let her go in peace and dignity.

Tegan called Katy's vet at the Breckinridge Animal Hospital on Monday and made an appointment to set Katy free.  What's remarkable is that it has been six months to the day since we brought Tegan's other dog Sheila to the same place to set her free from her pain and misery. 

Tegan picked me up at work today and we went home and got Katy.  We let her outside for a while to have a last romp in the back yard:

Katy's Last Romp in the back yard

Tegan got her into the truck and then we drove her over to the hospital.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, the women in that place are very caring and wonderful!  The hospital has a very nice sitting room for family members to be with their pets during their final moments.  The vet gave Katy a sedative to help her relax and then we visited with her for around fifteen minutes until the vet returned to give her the final shot. 

Here's a picture of Tegan sitting with Katy right before she quietly went to sleep:

The Last Visit

We sat with her for a while after she passed away and then left her in the sitting room.  We're having the same company who took care of Sheila's cremation take care of Katy as well.  Once we get her cremains back, we'll set them on the fireplace mantel right next to Sheila and my brother Jon's ashes.  Jon loved dogs and I know that all three of them will enjoy each others company.

Right after Katy went to sleep, I felt the same peaceful feeling that I did right after Sheila passed away.  Neither of them have to suffer any more and we're sure that they had a wonderful rendezvous at the Rainbow Bridge!