Little Dog in a Big World

It is with a heavy heart that I must tell our readers that Sierra passed away this afternoon.  She had been doing really well, so it’s been a shock.  She went about her morning as normal.  She scarfed down her breakfast, took her walk in her wheelchair, had a snack, and visit with one of her best buds, Jeremy.  In the afternoon, she had a little yogurt and visited with the neighbor.  She seemed to be having trouble with her back leg and gave up visiting to lay on her bed.

About a half hour later, she didn’t look well.  She began to throw up several times.  She rested for a few minutes, looking like she had gotten it all out, then threw up again.

A couple of minutes later, she gave a few coughs–and then she was gone.

She lived a good long life.  She survived cancer after having her back leg amputated.  She adapted to her new life as if three legs was the way she was meant to be.

She was diagnosed with arthritis in her back hip a few months after her amputation.  The Vet said that this was it.  She’d be limited to the backyard and the house.  But, Sierra wouldn’t have none of that!  Once we got her medications regulated, she was back to taking two 10 minute walks a day.

She really had no more problems until this February when she began to get constipated.  This were looking up in May when the constipation was under control and she was given a donated wheelchair by Kathi Barton’s class and the wonderful people at The Handicapped Pets Foundation.  In June, she was up walking with her wheelchair, chasing cats, and enjoying the feel of grass on her paws.

It’s so hard to say goodbye especially to a pet who has been such a great companion, who was such a fighter, and such a clown.  She was a thief who would steal food off your plate and the best companion a child could ever ask for.  She merely asked for a little peanut butter, a sun spot to sleep in, and tummy rubs.

I have so many good memories of Sierra.  The time she tried to steal the birthday cake off the table, sharing my bed with her while I read, how she adapted to the arthritis in my feet and would gingerly move around me, how she enjoyed laying down on top of the tent while my nephew and I tried to put it up, how tolerant she was of the younger family dogs who loved her too much, how she allowed my niece to clean her teeth with a wet washrag, how she stole a full loaf of bread the my niece and nephew had just pulled out of the bread machine, how she pulled a twenty dollar bill out of my sister’s purse, the time she came under the table, jumped up and took a bite out of the pumpkin pie while we were singing “Happy Birthday to You”…There are so many memories.  Mostly, I’ll miss her eagerness to start the day with all her aches and pains and how she would lay on my lap and practically knock me off the bed.

Here are a few photos of my little sweetness…I’ll miss you, babe!

May you enjoy all the best sun spots now…

6 Responses to “Rest in Peace, My Dear Sweet Sierra”