Saturday, February 27, 2016
Addylou...
Allie girl...
But first - the day we brought her from Denton - that first time for us to realize she was going home with US! I will never forget - we had her in the back seat of the van we were driving....there was a space right between Michael and me. Now Allie girl is a really skittish dog.....i think those boys did it to her....but she wasn't a jump in your lap kind of dog. But this sweet girl must have realized she had found heaven on earth....she inched her way up between the seats and put her head under our hands and pushed up against our hands....her way of telling us she was happy to be our Allie girl. We brought her home and she and Bogie got along just fine. There are many Allie stories....one picture i can see right now, as if yesterday - she and Bogie, laying flat with legs spread behind them, staring out the window in the game room at Runningbrook....just waiting for Michael to drive in. She was a good dog....never caused much trouble....a few accidents in the house, but other than that, Allie was a GOOD girl. Not the smartest dog.....but she nestled right in to our family and the place in our hearts that held her just grew and grew. She had the most beautiful eyes....brown....and the SOFTEST fur. Her hair gets really really long and we would find it everywhere because she sheds so bad. Every spring we would take her and get her shaved....she would come home from the "beauty shop" and oh my goodness, it made her look like a young pup every single time - even the last shave....when she was 18. She always had a special spring in her step after she was groomed....i think she thought she was one hot doggie! When we moved to Heath, she ran away - more than once! The first time she got out there, she was gone ALL day long. We just knew we had lost her. Chase even came from McKinney to help us look for her. We found a guy living in the neighborhood behind us that said he thought he saw her that morning....running for all she was worth along the creek bed. He thought she was a fox. She kinda had that fox look - and her huge bushy tail really did. It was dark and cold and raining....an awful night. Michael had a wedding so it was just me driving around the neighborhood with the windows down....yelling for all i was worth. I stopped and looked in some of the houses that were being built...thinking maybe she went inside to get warm. Now if you see Allie and you are on foot....and you call her name - she runs like crazy. But for some reason, if you are in a car, and you open the door, she comes bounding at you and jumps in the car. I was just about to give up....it was so hard to see....i hated to give up, but i had been EVERYwhere many times. I took one more swipe through the neighborhood and as i drove, i prayed and asked God to please let me find our Allie.....just as i was turning to go back home, my lights caught her eyes and she stared at me.....i thought she was going to run from me, but i quickly opened the car door and yelled her name.....her ears perked up - at least that one ear did....and her she came....muddy, truly just filthy and wet and cold....but she jumped right in my lap. I took her home, got her into a warm bath (in our gorgeous jetted tub) and bathed her good. I think she loved the warmth. I got her out and dried her the best i could....then i put her bed in front of the fire i had going.....she immediately laid her head down and she was asleep in NO time. For two days, she had trouble walking......she must have run and run all day long. We found the place she was getting out in the back and had it fixed....but she managed to get out a couple more times. Luckily, we found her each time. When we moved to Rockwall, she seemed to LOVE the new back yard.....she had bunnies to chase, squirrels.....we never let her be outside by herself because of the pool.....in her later years, Michael had her out back and he had to run inside really quick....when he came back out, he found her in the pool....swimming for all she was worth. We got lucky then too....he got her out and she was fine afterwards. As she got much older, she had arthritis....really bad....and got to the point we had to put her in diapers. Then there's the time i nearly killed her.....we had to start putting her in the laundry room at night because she walked all night long....so we put beds and blankets and towels down for her.....at night (and some times during the day) we would give her rotessiere chicken.....she loved it. She had a night light....a comfy bed and even with all that, the first night, she barked all night long. It was draining. SOOOO, we had these pills they had given us to give her when storms came (she was terrified) or on the 4th of July and New Years because she was so scared of the fire works. She hadn't taken them in years, but i thought the next night, i would give her one......in the past, it just calmed her down....made her at ease. Well, i guess because she weighed less and was older, the next morning she would barely move....we couldn't get her to eat or drink....she was so weak and couldn't even hold her head up. We rushed her to the animal ER (of course this happened on a weekend) and 800.00 later, lots of IV fluids, Allie was Allie again. I was SO thankful. I thought i had killed her. Even in the last days, Allie's little tail would just wag and wag....we had this french drain in the back yard....it was just a gray drain...not very wide - but every time she passed it, she would hop over it....even in her last days....and if she was having a really bad day, she might not be able to hop, but her little head would bob up and down to emulate the hop. Oh my goodness, we loved our Allie girl. Yesterday she left us. We think she probably had a stroke....weak on her left side to the point she couldn't stand....the vet said it could be a number of things....all not good. The decision was made that it was time to help her to heaven. (I DO think God has a special place....maybe a beautiful meadow....for our little animals to go when they leave us - God knows how much we love them....how they become a part of our families) My cousin in Arkansas, married to a vet, told me weeks ago (i was telling her how painful life was for Allie....but her tail still wagged sometimes) that Allie would let me know when it was "time".....well, yesterday morning Allie was not herself....she was so sad....no tail wagging....just looked at me with those huge brown eyes. I remember being outside with her and even said out loud to her "Allie girl....are you trying to tell me that it's time?" - As the day went on, i noticed that she was having lots more trouble.....i would even have to lay her on her side so she could rest.....i would cover her with a warm blanket and she would snooze so deeply she would dream so many dreams....her little paws would be like she was running - maybe dreaming about those times she ran away and enjoyed her freedom. I gave her some of her chicken....trying to see if i could help her get a little energy.....but yesterday afternoon, i think she just decided it was time. I am so glad that God helped us make that decision.....i couldn't have done it i don't think. Michael stayed with her as they gave her the injection....i am a weenie....i just couldn't do it. He petted her head and told her how he loved her....what a good dog she had been.....and slowly her big brown eyes closed and she found her way to that meadow in heaven.
We will miss our girl. She was a good girl....i think she knew she was loved so much....she gave us so much in return. Not a lap dog.....but sure loved us up. Allie girl....you run and run in beautiful heaven....I hope you know how very much you were loved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)