Every dog is the best dog in the world. Shadow was no exception. That Mally Monster will forever hold a special place in my heart that no other dog can replace. Rest easy, big boy. Rest easy.
Lap of love got to the house a few minutes after 3pm. Dr Kate had a vet shadowing her, so we got two vets yesterday. He is a vet who is joining the Lap of Love team. I cannot say enough good things about Lap of Love! Our vet had recommended them to us months ago when we knew Shadow’s health was in decline. Our vet does come to houses, but they are also busy with their regular practice, so finding the time to schedule the visit isn’t always easy.
After meeting all the dogs, Dr. Kate explained what was going to happen and discussed the best way for us to allow the huskies, Ghost and Ammy, to participate in Shadow’s passing. I had made an entire pack of bacon earlier in the day and had one more sweet potato left. We also had one small slice of cake from Pawlees. As Shadow spent the night and morning throwing up, I had not offered him any food. He had lost a lot of weight in recent weeks due to not eating much and his vomiting.
He vomited so much that we steam cleaned the one room in the entire house with carpet and covered it with a tarp. Why do dogs seek carpet when they get sick? <laughter> We knew the old boy was suffering. But did not realize how much until we gave him several days of all his favorite gigs to eat!
We got the huskies outside and I grabbed the bacon, the sweet potato and the small slice of cake. I started feeding him while the doctor gave him an injection in the nape of his neck. Shadow ate the bacon and the sweet potato and was very happy. He did not touch the cake. As the sedative started to kick in, Dr. Kate helped him down. The shot also had a strong pain medication so it didn’t hurt for Shadow to sit or for her to move his hips. Marty, Sean and I sat with Shadow on the floor as he fell into a deep sleep. Once he was no longer conscious, Dr. Kate Shaved one of his legs, found a vein and gave him the final injection. It did not take long for his heart to stop beating. Once he was gone, she made a paw print and snipped some of his hair. What a great memorial.
Once he was gone, we let the huskies in. Ammy ran straight to Shadow and sniffed his nose. Ghost avoided Shadow and went behind the sofa and came out on the other side. The doctors went out to get the stretcher, giving the huskies time to sniff. They sniffed the stretcher when it was brought in. Dr. Kate explained that they clean the stretcher with every use, but that the dogs can still smell all the other dogs. As we moved Shadow to the stretcher, Ghost nabbed the blanket they were going to wrap Shadow in. He wanted to get his sniffs in.
Once Shadow was on the stretcher and wrapped in the blanket, Ghost and Ammy got a few more sniffs in. Marty was able to get a good photo where you can only see a bit of the gentle giant’s head– nothing gruesome. Marty was also thoughtful enough to get a photo of me with Shadow before the vets arrived. We tried to send the week giving him extra love. He was a good boy and deserved it. The entire process was over by 4pm. They did not rush us and allowed everyone to process the moment. Sean brought Valentine in to see Shadow, too. She and Shadow have always been buddies.
Here’s the really cool part about his cremation. As we did not want to bring Shadow’s ashes home with us, we had him cremated with other dogs. They brought him to Agape for cremation AND…… guess where Shadow will be laid to rest? Florida! His ashes will become a pet reef that is helping to restore the coral reef in Florida. The surface of the memorial is textured to allow adhesion of coral polyps, while its hollow center shelters fish and other marine animals.
You can check them out at Pet Reefs
This wasn’t our idea– it is what this chapter of Lap of Love does with Agape. We had been told that his ashes would be handled respectfully and laid to rest with other dogs. I asked the vet and she told me this is what they did! You know how much I love the water!! We knew we did not want his ashes at home, so this option is perfect for us.
Today has been bitter sweet. I did not want to vacuum this morning because I didn’t want to pick up all of Shadow’s fur. I know I’m going to miss it. I finally vacuumed and then took Ghost for a walk. Things are quieter here without Shadow’s woos. We brought Shadow’s rug upstairs last night and Ammy came up to sniff it and laid on it for quite a while. She sniffed around this morning, but over all is doing well. Ghost doesn’t seem too affected by Shadow’s absence right now, either. I think having them present for his passing allowed them to know what happened.
My Little Red Bike 