Bad Days . . .

This is one of the hardest blog entries I have had to write.

The last week has been pretty tough on me and my family. Our beloved dog, Mac, has been ill, as you know if you have been reading this blog. Last Wednesday, he took a definite turn for the worse. He refused to take his medication even though we tried disguising it in several different tempting morsels. When we offered them to him, he would raise his head, sniff it, then simply turn his head away. He also stopped eating. He drank water, but wouldn't touch any food.

On top of that, as the days passed he pretty much stopped moving except to go from his water bowl to his blanket in the living room. He also became incontinent. He seemed unable to let us know when he needed to go out, but would pee wherever he happened to be. For a dog who very rarely had an accident in the house, this was humiliating for him, I am sure. He always looked ashamed, as if asking our forgiveness for peeing in the house.

We tried carrying him outside. He would find a sunny place to lie down and then stay there until we came to bring him in. A couple of times he wandered a short distance around the yard, but he couldn't go very far and became exhausted almost immediately.

We finally made the decision to have him put down. Yesterday morning my mother and children took him to the vet and he died very peacefully with all three of them with him and the girls holding him. I just couldn't face being there, so I stayed home and cried.

To make matters even more emotionally difficult, we had decided a few months ago to get another dog. Cliff has always wanted a hunting dog, so he has been looking for a trained hunting dog needing a new home. There are, believe it or not, many good dogs that need to be rescued out there, and there are many breed-specific rescue websites. Last week, Cliff was notified that he had been approved for one of the dogs he applied to adopt, so we got this new dog on Monday.

I feel almost like we betrayed Mac, bringing a new dog into he house when he was so sick, but the timing just happened and we hadn't much choice in the matter. I still feel very bad about it.

We are having Mac cremated and plan to put some of his ashes in our garden, and some out at my mom and dad's cabin in Alberta, where he loved to go every summer. As I sit here and write this, tears are streaming down my face because I loved that little mutt and no other dog will ever replace our beloved Mac.

-- Lori