The Champ Has Hung Up Her Gloves & Stepped Out of this Ring

Wednesday, August 29, 2007......
The champ has hung up her boxing gloves and stepped out of this ring.....and onto the Rainbow Bridge - where once again she'll be back with her Greyhound big brother Pele, which is where she always loved being the most in the first place. I couldn't think of a more appropriate analogy than boxing gloves and a ring for this little girl as she's always been a trooper, and a fighter, no matter what life through at her. We were blessed with just under ten years of her quirky self being a part of our family, heart and home. I told her that I would fight right along side her just as long as she would and there's nothing I would not have done for her.

On her sister Marlo's 3rd birthday, and after another set of xrays, my worst suspicions were confirmed. I know that my gut was telling me that, but I also know that Shiloh knew before I did. Last night, my heart broke just a little bit more, I knew this was coming but that doesn't mean it makes it any easier, especially when this is the third time we've been facing this in less than four months time. Go home tonight, give your pups a hug, some extra treats, and light some candles along the way.

September 4, 2007..........
I'm not at work today. Marlo was up all night. It started out with diarrhea of the Linda Blair variety earlier in the evening and then she had two to three more episodes of that, then I had her in the spare bedroom to sleep with me because I've been sick (nasty sinus infection made for a nice weekend, NOT). She kept throwing up all night long, and it was awful, the poor thing is just worn out. In the middle of the night she went outside to eat grass and repeat and had the same diarrhea again.

I think I slept a total of 45 minutes last night. I just said screw it (big surprise) and called into work and left a message for my boss and said I didn't care what I needed to count it as (vacation, sick day, etc) that I just really needed this, and that is the truth. We think it may be because she was eating our neighbors green tomatoes that were growing through the fence (both her and Marley), so I had Ross cut all of those down on our side last night.

It all happened so very fast, that it still doesn't seem possible, even though I brought her home for good on Friday. Thankfully we got out of work early because I was getting ultra anxious being around people period. We got out at 2 pm and I went home and went straight to bed and couldn't move until I made myself get up to go to Barkpark on Saturday (see photo below of the three sisters sharing a cool drink), then I came home and crashed once again, minus a brief sojourn out on Sunday, it was in bed for me.

Monday I made myself, rather brutally forced myself to go out and indulge in some retail therapy. But the adrenaline rush wore off and the exhaustedness from the sinus infection just wore me out again. However, I couldn't bear the thought of sitting still, so I did yardwork, and subsequently we both broke out from bug bites (I always do, anytime I'm outside like that). The front yard now is back to civilization.

The culmination of less than four months, and facing euthanasia for a third time and having lost three tortoises and a turtle the week after Shygirl, it's just too much for any one human being to handle. This one hit hard, not that the others didn't, but again, I think it was the sum total in full blown effect, raw, uncensored, ugly and so utterly, heart wrenchingly painful. I can't put it into true words...

Then there's the other side of me that told myself that if it were Shiloh here and it was me gone, she would have said, screw that there's fun to be had and I'm not sitting around here waiting for you people. I truly believe that. There will most certainly NEVER be another like her.

Marlo got up and moved and is now in the computer room, and she's laying on the futon. She just drank some water and is doing ok so far, but just like me she feels (i'm sure) like she's had the very life sucked out of her. I took this silly photo of her last weekend, I love those ears!