From a note today to some friends:
“..Just writing to let you know that our little sweetheart Zoe is no longer with us physically. We felt we needed to put her down a couple of weeks ago, following a deteriorating course over 2-3 months, secondary to either a stroke or a lesion on her brain (or maybe just old age). She was probably about 15, and found it increasingly hard to walk, and when she did just went in tight circles. We had to hold her up to feed her (she loved eating even at the end), and cart her in and out for pee/poop time.
One of my friends said that we were providing her hospice care, and indeed, we probably were, especially in her last month. I am SO SO glad though, that I had four months post retirement for her final stretch here. The work of caring for her was not a burden, even at the end; her spirit and her trust in us made it easy. Even carrying her in and out many times a day, for instance, never got old; it was a great opportunity to hold her close, which she seemed quite OK with.
So, we no longer have the gift of her physical presence, but in her passing, the gift of her memory, and, the gift of time. This is the first time in about 20 years that we are pooch free. The general plan is to stay that way for maybe a year and then jump in again. We’ll see what’s in store… ”
The top photo is from a decade ago, shortly after our mutual adoption, and the one below – the last I took of her – on her final morning here.
Farewell for now, little mo-mo. We miss you. And our deepest gratitude for being such a wonderful part of our lives.
“Love to stay, gotta go…”