Our last year with Katy was a hard one as she was so sick for much of it. I had thought I'd would have documented much more of Teddy's first year, but this year has had some challenges but far greater blessings. While I may later regret not documenting Teddy's first year with us, I am so much more grateful for the time we spent living this first year with him.
Our beautiful girl came to us from rescue when she was two. She is why I believe the earlier people realize they have made a mistake in bringing a dog into the home and responsibly turn it over to a breed rescue or shelter the better it is for the dog. Dragging it out when people either can't or won't work on the challenges the dog has added to their lives is not fair to the dog, especially when the younger the dog is, the fewer the problems it has acquired in this first home, the more likely it is to find a forever home afterwards.
Bailey and Katy were meant to find one another. We never got Katy's background story from the rescue but she was very isolated from the world. She was terrified of everything. Bailey acted as her guide to the world, encouraging her to try new things and sheltering her when things were too overwhelming for her. He celebrated when she succeeded at overcoming her fears while she pretended she'd never been afraid of it. She was capable of anything.
When Bailey got sick, Katy was his companion to the end. She was devestated when he died. We had started looking for a companion before Bailey died. We had one failed rescue before finding a breed placement with Annie, who quickly become Katy's therapy dog. Annie had to be at Katy's beck and call at all times.
Since Katy has passed Annie has been working on figuring out what her role is without Katy needing her support, especially with a demanding puppy in the house.
We were very blessed to have Katy with us for 14 years. I still miss her calm presence in the house. I am glad that she is no longer suffering. That last year was rough. I prefer remembering her stronger years playing with Bailey and Annie.
(((hugs))) to you as you remember. The anniversaries are so hard. Dakota passed at 13 and like Katy, much of his last year he was ill. He was also more fearful (he came to live with us when he was 8 months old).....Cody was the braver of the two. Like your pair, Cody and Dakota were inseparable. I knew when Cody passed, Dakota's time (he had been diagnosed with a tumor on his heart a month earlier), would be short. He passed 9 days after Cody. Teddy is adorable and I hope you will include him on the blog soon! I think Katy would have liked that! xoxo
ReplyDeleteKaty was such a sweet girl. We know how difficult it can be to lose one of our precious pups. Annie and Teddy are certainly carrying on in some big paw prints. We are sending you hugs during this sad anniversary.
ReplyDelete