Sally the Muffin-Bear

In April of 1996 I brought my speckled bundle of joy home and we were practically inseparable.  Sally was the ultimate companion - through road trips and even hotel stays where she was allowed - we had such a blast together.  She was such a strikingly gorgeous dog and always attracted attention wherever we went!  She loved Halloween (always did have a sweet tooth) in spite of the silly costumes I made her wear, but her favorite was x-mas - she would sit on the couch staring up the stairs waiting for us so that she could tear into her package of goodies...

Sally was such a unique dog...A bit spoiled maybe, but that gave her so much personality.  She finally had to give up being carried around like a socialite's chihuhua at about 5 months old when she reached 40 lbs and had to sit on her side of the car when I couldn't see over her head anymore.  She was known for her relentless pursuit of whatever she wanted (usually something on your plate) and a fierce love of kitties (those poor cats waiting to be adopted at PetSmart...it was like her private zoo)...Not one of those supermodel dalmatians, she was known for her love of "yummies", particularly ice cream, scrambled eggs with cheese and cinnamon scones from Starbucks.  She would show her impatience by dancing back and forth on her front paws with the occasional hop up onto her back legs.

In 2003 my little girl started showing her age, needing surgery to repair a torn ligament in her knee.  Later that year I finally granted her one of her fondest wishes and got her a couple of kitties of her own to play with.  In 2005 she got to see a whole litter of kitties being born and took two more home.  We could have sworn our little Beltaine liked Sally way more than she liked us, flopping on the floor in Sally's path for a belly snuzzle or standing at the window with her, rubbing against Sallys belly and front legs.

Through all of our moves and changes over the years, Sally remained so adaptable and content as long as she got to go with me, no matter where that was (with the exception of the vet's office, maybe...).  In September she began a journey that I wouldn't be able to make with her.  I noticed that she wasn't feeling well and thought it might be time to start taking arthritis medicine.  As a precaution her vet did a blood test and found that she had developed kidney disease and that it was pretty advanced.  He was surprised that she wasn't more symptomatic, but that, too, was Sally's thing - if she could hide it, maybe she wouldn't have to go to the vet.  I want to really think the doctors and staff at Churchville Veterinary Clinic in Mayland - they were so compassionate and caring to Sally during her treaments - they really made Sally (and me) feel special.  Over the next week she became less interested in food, and progressively weaker.  By the following Saturday afternoon she was having such trouble keeping food down that I decided to spend as much time with her as I could and let her go on Monday morning at her regular vet (rather than the emergency vet that she had never been to, knowing she would be very scared and distressed).

In the end, I knew that she would want to be home and with me for as long as possible.  The timing was right for her - if it had been a day when the vet was available, I might not have been able to wait for her to let go on her own.  On Sunday evening it looked as though we wouldn't make it to the vet on Monday afterall.  By 9pm I put in a call to the emergency vet, but something kept me from making the trip.  Good thing, too - we wouldn't have made it all the way to the e.r. - at 9:45pm she passed away in my arms.  Michael and I gave the kitties a chance to say goodbye, wrapped her in her favorite green blanket and my sister, Amber, and I took her to my Grandmother's the next day.  Beltaine camped out on top of the box and didn't want to get down when it was time to leave.  She still needs lots of consoling and is way more vocal than she was before.

Special thanks to my Dad, Mike, my sister, Amber, and my Aunt Patricia - they picked out a lovely spot for her, did the lion's share of the digging, and Dad made a great box for Sally - they really went above and beyond the call for us.

Sally's own Grandma, my Mom, passed away earlier this year.  She told me that I could always bring Sally to stay with her.  Both of them moved on far earlier than I expected, but I know my reunion with them will be so sweet.  I'd give anything to see Sally frolicking like a puppy again... 

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