Goodbye Daisy Goodbye

It has taken me a week to muster up the courage to write this post.

Our sweet dog Daisy died two days before Thanksgiving.

It all came on very suddenly and took us all by surprise. Saturday she seemed fine, running around chasing things in the woods. On Sunday evening she was different, walking slowly and breathing heavily. By Monday, we could tell something was really wrong. She was lethargic and not eating or drinking anything, coughing and labored breathing. Tuesday we took her to the vet and he said it was her heart. He could hear a murmur and thought one of the valves had torn. There was fluid on her lungs. He said she was showing signs of distress and might not live more than a day or two. We could have done x-rays and run tests to determine the exact cause and used medications to possibly prolong her life for a few months.

We made the hard decision - that so many other dog owners have made - to put her to sleep. The vet actually used the word euthanasia (ending life in order to relieve pain and suffering). I was surprised that the procedure only took a few seconds as she just drifted off. We brought her limp body home and we buried her under the tree in front of the house.

We will miss Daisy in the coming days. She was always happy to see us come home and did her happy dance for us. She loved to be outside, on guard, watching, protecting, chasing. She also loved being inside, quietly watching over us or waiting for a few crumbs to hit the floor. She was such a big part of our life here and will be hard to ever replace.

Although she was ever present in the background and a constant companion, she only features a few times on this blog.

When we moved and she rode shotgun with me in the moving van: Phase 3

The time she saved the day by herding up the chickens who had been scared deep into the woods: Nine

The day we kidnapped a deer fawn: Deer Fawn

When I gave her a haircut: Buzz Cut

Protecting me when a stray horse came up to the house: Another Horse

Daisy

January 22, 2005 - November 25, 2014