2020 Strikes Again :(

"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97) 09/25/2020 at 00:13 • Filed to: None

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Yesterday was sad in casa de ITA97. We had to put Shelby down.

A few weeks ago there was a trip to the emergency vet in El Paso with Shelby having a distended abdomen and being noticeably uncomfortable. That vet trip actually derailed the second planned outing with Akio when he was in Las Cruces. The results of the workup came back a few days later with lymphoma. Putting her through chemo would not have been doing right by anyone, but she was on steroids the last few weeks that relived a lot of the swelling a kept her comfortable and enjoying herself. The last few days she really deteriorated. It was time.

She was a wonderful dog and a treasured member of our family. We are so honored to have been lucky enough to rescue her from the shelter and become her people. She had been bred and dumped at the Sonic in Canutillo just as soon as she was old enough to have puppies. The relayed story from the shelter was that she had been sitting outside the Sonic for two days like she was waiting for someone before animal control finally picked her up.

With my sister working nights at the time, a doggo that would let her sleep during the day was imperative. When we toured the Canutillo shelter, all the dogs went crazy as soon as we walked down the row of kennels except for one. Shelby was just sitting there, made eye contact, and calmly wagged her tail. We knew right there she was our dog, and she never failed to be happy to go back to bed in the morning with my sister after a night shift in the NICU.

Shelby spent her days looking out windows and sleeping on furniture. Soft places to lay were very important to her. The very first thing she did when we brought her home was to jump up in my recliner and curl up. A place to lay in direct sunlight was a big bonus. She was an effective hunter with an insatiable prey drive, and she and Ellie made an impressive team hunting as a pack. Over the years they caught countless lizards, rabbits, probably a dozen birds, plenty of field mice in our backyard in Las Cruces and two very unlucky cats.

Car rides were never her thing, but walks were a highlight for her. When we first got her, she would only relive herself on a leash (which took a day and half to figure out), which meant for about a year she got at least four walks a day to do her business. She loved visitors and small children were her jam, even if she frightened a few toddlers with her exuberance at meeting them. Special mention here goes out to a particular friend of mine, as he was the one person she was always so happy to see that she couldn’t contain herself. Literally, but her joy at seeing him was always worth cleaning up the resulting puddle of wee.

She had a rough patch when Ellie joined our family, but over about six months she slowly accepted that she was no longer the doggie in charge. She might have been the most stubborn dog in the world. In time they became an inseparable team. Over the years they were increasingly found sharing the same soft places to lay, and increasingly often found as doggies in symmetry lying next to each other in the exact same position. They both came to know the command “girls!”, which meant everyone with a tail was to come see me.

Up until she started losing lots of weight the last few weeks, she was never particularly food driven except for bread products. She loved gluten more than any three dogs. One of my favorite memories of her was having just brought home a dozen donuts and setting them on a tall counter I didn’t know she could reach. Next thing I knew, I turned around to see her trotting off down the hall with a glazed donut in her mouth. She would steal bread at will, and honorable mention goes to the time she stole a package of hamburger buns and hid one under the pillows of each bed in the house, as my sister found out when she went to bed later that morning and reached under her pillow.

I’m grateful for the time we had with her the last 8ish years, and we will deeply miss her. She slept on my bed at night more often than not, with a Shelby curled up next to me probably 75% of nights the last 8 years. It will take some getting used to not having her there. Go hug your own doggos where it applies. For anyone with room in your hearts for a lifelong companion, always remember animal shelters are full of Shelby’s waiting to find their people.

A day later, the hardest part of this has actually been how sad the other Doggo is. Ellie knew something was really wrong with Shelby, as she hardly let her our of her sight the last three or four days. Almost 24/7 they were either laying in the same place, or Ellie was sleeping on the floor beneath the bed Shelby was sleeping on, and that wasn’t normal. Ellie is just so sad and morose right now, and she hasn’t been an only doggie for well over half her life. Her sadness makes me so much sadder, but we’ll get through it.

Just Jeepin' > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:24

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Next thing I knew, I turned around to see her trotting off down the hall with a glazed donut in her mouth. She would steal bread at will, and honorable mention goes to the time she stole a package of hamburger buns and hid one under the pillows of each bed in the house, as my sister found out when she went to bed later that morning and reached under her pillow. 

Thank you for the good laugh, even if it was a sad one.

Dogs are the ultimate curse: they dig themselves deeply into our lives, and then too quickly are taken away.

Chariotoflove > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:27

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God bless you. Shelby. You were a blessing upon the Earth.

I’m sorry for your loss.

CompactLuxuryFan > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:28

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This is  beautiful. Sorry for your loss. 

pip bip - choose Corrour > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:29

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You gave Shelby a great life

May Shelby RIP

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CompactLuxuryFan 09/25/2020 at 00:30

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Thank you. Writing it (originally as a book o’face post) we deeply cathartic, and I felt the need to memorialize some of those thoughts. I’ve posted enough about the doggos over the years on Oppo that I thought it fit here, too.

CB > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:31

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I’m sorry for your loss. She sounds like she was a good girl.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:32

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We put our Molly down a year or two ago and wound up with a crackpot goofoff of a nutcase for a replacement dog, but she's growing on me.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Chariotoflove 09/25/2020 at 00:33

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I’ve always believed  d oggos bring out the best in us, and they ask for so little in return.

Nom De Plume > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:35

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That’s rough, shelter dog leaving an empty spot on the bed and all. At least the suffering wasn’t overly prolonged.

Sorry for your loss.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:36

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awww man...im sorry for your loss mate

jminer > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:37

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Watching a remaining dog grieve is one of the most heartbreaking parts of losing a doggo. Sorry - our sympathies are with you and the household.

This happened to us a couple years ago when our St Bernard ended up with cancer, our other dog barely ate and had no energy for months. She eventually got back to her old self (mostly) but she’s now almost 11 and her arthritis is getting pretty bad and we’re worried that a final trip to the vet isn’t that far away.

Luckily she got a clean bill of health last week, but her lifespan left is likely now measured in months and not years which is woefully depressing.

phenotyp > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:39

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Oh, no.

Thank Shelby for the time you had.

I’m so sorry for your loss.

phenotyp > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:42

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Man, it’s just the hardest thing.

Be well, and do good. You’ve already proven that, but keep going.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:43

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This extremely well written piece has me thinking of losing Kobe the whippet earlier this year. It's never easy but sometimes it is just their time and you know you're doing what's best for them. Goodbye Shelby, you will be missed. 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > jminer 09/25/2020 at 00:43

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This was the part I wasn’t expecting. We’ve had some wonderful doggos over the years growing up, so I knew what it was like once the time came, but we never had multiple dogs until Shelby and Ellie. Besides the six month crash course in pack dynamics and the eventual bonding, I came to think we eventually got it down well . I had no idea how intense the grieving would be for the remaining doggo.

Svend > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:44

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I’m so sorry. They are here with us for such a short time.

They give us so much love, affection, empathy, etc... in their lifetime, it’ s more than enough to fill our lifetime.

She’ll always be with you.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:47

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I’m sorry  that I have but condolences to offer.  RIP doggo.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CB 09/25/2020 at 00:53

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She was such a good girl.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 09/25/2020 at 00:54

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Thank you.

jminer > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 00:56

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For us it was bad enough that even when we’d start to be feeling better seeing the poor dog just beside herself would bring us right back down. It was hard, losing one of these wonderful beasts is a brutal thing.

We’ve got a lot of old pets now and it is hard. Our Newfoundland is almost 11 and our two cats are 12 and 14. They’re all healthy for their age, but all are old.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 01:03

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Great eul ogy , makes me feel like I knew her. Sorry for the loss, not easy.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Svend 09/25/2020 at 01:04

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Thank you, friend.

PartyPooper2012 > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 05:36

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Man, that is a rough patch you’re going through. I am sorry for the loss of a member of your family.

Hang tough.

We had to put one of ours down some years ago and we still cut onions every time we remember his chunky butt.

facw > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 05:43

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Oh no!

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 06:15

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:(. Sorry for your loss. 

vondon302 > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 06:35

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Damn sorry for your loss.

Make sure you keep an eye on the other doggo they can get really depressed when their buddy is gone.

Much like us.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 07:01

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So, so sorry to hear this friend...my condolences for your family’s loss. :(

They ask for so little in return and enrich our lives so much...

jeepoftheseus > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 07:14

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That is tough. It is interesting how the other animals in the pack know when one is hurting internally. Ours was a small cat that wouldn’t leave the bullmatiff’s side. Even laying on top of him for a week or two before we had to say goodbye. Dog cancer sucks but dogs are worth it. Sorry for your loss. 

boredalways > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 07:36

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My condolences

dumpsterfire! > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 08:57

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so sorry. sounds like Shelby was a special one.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 10:40

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Good girl. You clearly gave her a great life. 

arl > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 11:36

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So sorry to hear that. She sounds like she was a wonderful and loving dog. :( 

Goggles Pizzano > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 17:42

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I’m sorry to hear this. My condolences.

onlytwowheels > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/25/2020 at 18:22

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Your words are much more eloquent than I could produce during this time of deep sorrow. So sorry for your loss.

I know your pain well, having lost my dog to apocrine gland adenocarcinoma less than 3 months ago. I miss him dearly and have just recently began searching for a new companion. The tears still come, just not as often, and as you said “ we’ll get through it”.

My previous experience with the loss of a dog in a multi dog family, also knows the loss Ellie is experiencing. Sh e will need extra attention and love, her loss is equal to your loss. Together you can honor and grieve the loss of your friend and companion.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > onlytwowheels 09/25/2020 at 19:03

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Thank you so much for the kind words.

Cash Rewards > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 10/28/2020 at 20:18

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Shit, I missed this a month ago and just saw it mentioned in today’s post. I’m so sorry to see this. I had things go nearly the same a year and a half ago with my first dog. Loss weight, vet visit, got about a week out of her before it was time.

It gets easier, slowly, but it does. Best of luck