Saturday, September 03, 2011

The Thing I Don't Like About Having a Dog ....

 .... is that they die.

It's no secret that I'm not an animal person, but I did think our dog Rylie was a pretty sweet dog.  If I had to have a dog, she was the perfect one for me. She had a quiet, gentle disposition.

Sadly, she died on Friday night, at home.  Mark was out of town until today, so I had to handle the whole thing and it was rather traumatic.  Long story short - I ended up taking her to the vet, a bunch of tests were run and it was determined that she was dehydrated and something was wrong with her liver. However, there wasn't anything this particular vet could do until next week - when we could have some additional testing done. She sent us home after pushing fluids into Rylie and told us to come back the next day for more fluids (this vet didn't have overnight services).  Rylie died two hours after we brought her home.  Ugh!  The one good thing is that it truly was a very peaceful passing and the kids were with her.  I seriously don't ever want to go through that again. Thank God for my friends Anne Marie and Paul - they are "animal people" (they have lots of animals) and they helped me get Rylie to the vet and back home.  Thankfully, they were with us when she died, or I would have freaked out.  We suspect Rylie had been sick for awhile and it caught up with her all at once and she crashed fast. There really wasn't anything the vet could do based on the condition Rylie was in at the time we took her in.

Lots of tears are being shed around here this weekend.  Naturally, there is talk of the next dog we are going to get. But, I don't think I can do this again - and, it will happen again. It's the nature of having pets.

She was Hilary's best friend,


Eric's buddy,


and Jack's protector



Eric slept with her collar last night :(


and, Hilary drew this picture 



So much for an enjoyable three-day weekend.

8 comments:

worthy said...

Wow, you have been busy with updates while I have been away! Good to hear that Mary is settled and that Jack's airway is good. so sorry to read about Rylie though, it is so tough when a pet passes. when my dog died (she was almost 16) it was like losing a member of my family she had been through so much with me. Sending much love xxx

Susan said...

I'm sorry Ann. I'm sure she will be missed by the whole family.

Anne said...

Oh my. I am so sorry. She was a sweet dog. xoxo

Anonymous said...

Eric taking the collar to bed broke my heart. So sorry.

Stacey

Anonymous said...

So sorry. I once told my husband that the type of dog Rylie was is the kind I need. She was a sweet dog. ((HUGS)) ~Amanda

Christy said...

Love that picture of Eric and Rylie! And Hilary's picture of her is great! And just so you know, I was in tears reading this post. I am so sad for you and your family. You should get a Pug next. ;-)

Hugs to you - xoxo

Vicki said...

Losing a pet is so hard. Our dog is older & know the day is coming. Don't even want to think about another pet coming in! Hope the kids (as well as you) are doing ok, know the house feels empty without Rylie.

It was good news tho to catch up on everyone, hope school is going well for everyone, and glad there is an ENT you are comfy with for Jack. That is huge, I know. Let Hilary know that I loved her drawing of Rylie, she's got talent!

ssouth said...

Oh, I'm behind the times. I'm so sorry to hear about dear Rylie. I bet Grandma was happy to see him. I didn't know Hilary was such a fantastic artist. Hugs to all.