Sugar
Sugar was in the Medical facility at the Camarillo Shelter just before
Christmas 2005. She was tiny, old, no teeth, bald on her back, deaf,
flea ridden, and almost blind. After her owner died, she ended up
at the shelter like so many do. I looked into her eyes when I snapped
this photo. She was an angel. I wondered how she'd get on with Rex
my boy. I brought her home just before Christmas and what a wonderful
gift she was. Sugar and Rex got along I guess because they knew what
their situations were. Sugar was a 4 1/2 pound
bundle of love. And, to my surprise, she would charge the big dogs
with the cutest little animated "Minnie-mouse" arf-arf bark
you've ever heard. I almost broke my leg the first time she went after
a Golden Retriever. She and Rex would travel with me on my daily rounds
and we would frequent our favorite parks. Her hair grew back and she
was happy. Around 5/06, I noticed something wrong in her behavior
so we went in for x-rays and tests. Her Gall Bladder was the size
of a golf ball and full of stones. And she had a tumor on her Liver.
She had major surgery removing both the Gall Bladder and the Liver
tumor. She was hospitalized for 5 days and it was dicey once she got
home. It was a miracle she survived it all as we think she was about
15 years old. About late June 06 she was hell on wheels. Running,
prancing, and doing everything cute for a treat. Those stones must
have been giving her trouble for years but now they were gone and
she was pain free. It was really something to see. In August of 2006,
we ran blood work on her and discovered she was showing signs of Kidney
Failure. It was devastating news. We tried adjusting her diet but
it threw her little system into shock. We knew her time was near and
waited for the inevitable. The last week, she drew near to me. She
was always by my side. The day I took her into our vet, we stopped
by our favorite park. The leaves were turning orange and red. The
sunlight filtered through the leaves and it was glorious. I held her
close, rocking her like a baby. I turned her so she could see the
light and we whispered our goodbyes. Heart to heart. Spirit to spirit.
I loved her a lifetime in the 10 months I was fortunate enough to
have with her.
I will never forget Sugar. She taught me so much about myself. Things
I would never have learned on my own. Oh, how I miss her. Still.
|
