Dusty

Things are pretty crazy around here leading up to the big wedding on Saturday.  But I wanted to check in and say that I am still here with lots to blog about but no time to do it!  Hopefully after this weekend I will have some time to sit down and write about a few of the things we have been doing.  

But right now, I have a heavy heart.  My sweet little dog, Dusty, passed away Friday.  Boo.  

He was my first baby and he was almost 12 years old.  About two weeks ago he started this weird coughing thing (almost like asthma or something but would only last a few minutes) and I took him to the vet after about a week of it.  They diagnosed him with congestive heart failure and put him on medicine.  Now, I worked in the medical field for many years.  I know that doesn't just go away.  I knew eventually he would succumb to his heart troubles.  

After being on the medicine for a few days he got much better.  He was running up the stairs and playing with Blakely like usual.  I thought once he got better that we were going to get a few more years out of him.  He was 12 but shih-tzu's live forever.  My mom's lived until he was like 18!

I took him to the groomer on Friday because he was in bad need of a cut.  Helga is our groomer and she is like the dog whisperer.  It has always been a nightmare to get Dusty groomed until she came along.  He loves her and would sit there and let her do whatever (except for the toenails..he always HATED that!).  

Anyway, she called me and said that he was breathing weird and she thought he may need to go back to the vet.  I said I would come get him.  I was at the grocery store and started that way.  A few minutes later, my phone rang and it was my aunt.  She works right next door and Helga came to get her when Dusty started acting funny.  My aunt told me she thought that Dusty had died.  I was like....no.  WHAT?  Are you sure?  She was sure.  

I was in the car with Blakely and basically lost it.  But I quickly realized I could not do that.  I had to get it together because Blakely was frantically saying "MOMMY!  MOMMY SAD!  OH NO!  MOMMY?"  Not fun.  Hard.  

I'll save all the details but, yeah, he died at the groomer.  Sweet Helga is just the best.  She even performed doggy CPR with mouth to mouth.  I mean....  She tried but it just wasn't happening.  I called and thanked her and told her that if Dusty couldn't be with me when that happened that I was glad he could be with her because I know she loved him too.  

So that is pretty sad.  I came home and put B down for a nap and had a good cry about it.  And now writing this I am getting sad again.  Sigh...

Duster was a good dog.  Not the smartest (as Lonnie would say!) but super sweet and always cuddly.  I got him right before I started x-ray school because it was my first time to live alone and I was lonely.  He slept on my pillow every night until we moved here.  

A good dog.  Our little family will definitely miss him.  We already do.