Monday Musings

Last Wednesday, we had the sad duty to put our dear Labradoodle, Paris, to sleep. Paris has been with us for almost 14 years. Our prior Labradoodle, Phoenix, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Montana. Paris came to us from Utah in a large crate via Delta Airlines. He was best buddies with his brother of another mother, our Australian Shepherd-Red Heeler, Plato. Unfortunately, he developed worsening arthritis, making it difficult for him to enjoy his favorite activity: walks. His appetite lagged despite our best attempts to add tasty supplements to his meals. On his final evening, he had a sudden decline. Bobi carried him to our bed where we held vigil. The following day, we had a pre-scheduled neuter appointment for Benji, the new addition to our family. We knew it was time, so we brought Paris with us to the vet. In memoriam, Paris. We grieve your loss. As promised in a prior blog post, I now have a better photo of our new dog, Benji. He got his cast removed, a bath, and his first...

A few hours ago, we euthanized our twelve-year-old calico cat, Psyche. Cause of death: end-stage renal failure, severe anemia, and 22% weight loss. Our sweet girl had a gradual decline over the past several months, but the last few days were drastic. Her once thick, gorgeous fur coat became a tangled mess of mats as she no longer groomed herself. Also missing was her full-throated motorboat purr, replaced by a weak cry. She had little interest in her morning wet food treat and completely declined her dry kibble. Our veterinarian was empathetic and wholeheartedly agreed with our decision. She dispatched our girl over the rainbow bridge with two quick injections. Psyche will join our 19-year-old black cat, Betty Anne, who died on Halloween, our Shi Tzu, Haiku, who passed from lymphoma, and Phoenix, our first Labradoodle, a victim of a thoughtless hit and run. I envision them happily running and playing. I reminisced about the tiny wild kitten, who on Christmas Day, jumped onto an end tab...