dear december, don't let the door hit you on the way out
Feb 5, 2010 not to be crass but december 2009 can go suck it - i have never experienced such a shit sandwich of a month as december 2009 in my life. sadly it wasn't even the type of crappy month that once you get past it you can look back and laugh - it was chock full of "only time will heal" moments. after demeter's diagnosis and the loss of astrid i couldn't shake that insipid "bad things happen in threes" idea and i really wish i was able to. the day after christmas we were enjoying some down time when murray started acting funny. he had gotten knocked over earlier and i thought he was having back pain because he was stumbling around and wouldn't sit down but then he vomited and then i looked at his eyes and 5 minutes later we were in the car heading for the emergency room. his eyes were darting from side to side and my thought was that he was having a stroke. after an interminable time in the waiting room we got to talk to the vet where finally we got the news that murray had idiopathic vertebral disease. ivd is also referred to as "old dog disease" - how the hell did we not see that one coming?* long story short it took a few weeks but murray has made a full recovery and lives on to slowly waddle through life. a few days ago dave let it slip that when we were in the er waiting room he didn't think murray would ever be coming home. i'm here to tell you that he is one lucky guy that he was wrong because, dear gravy, i would not have been able to come back from that.
so that was december 2009 and while i'm sure it meant well it sucked...bad...really bad. as you know we've since lost demeter and sadly it's time for us to try to move ahead. i hope for only joyous posts in the future but the reality is with the amount of dogs we have our chance of crud happening is exponentially larger and yet our chance of joy is also exponentially larger...so there you go.
here's a recent shot of murray...could you die???
;)
*a proud direct copyright infrigement of denis leary "lou gehrig. died of lou gehrig's disease. how the hell do you not see that coming?" and if you aren't familiar with denis leary get to be because he's hee-larious.
Reader Comments (4)
I am so sorry for your losses! I can't imagine losing any one of my 5 right now! But I love your blog...keep the stories and videos coming...I live vicariously through your 14 dogs! I wish I could own that many!
oh, murray... thank goodness you're better! what a looker he is. :) i've thought a lot about you all and the grieving you must be doing. best wishes for a far happier 2010!
All of my 2009 was crappy! I rescue greyhounds and I found your site quite by accident while looking at a memorial page for a friend of mine that was killed in the Haiti earthquake. I lost my oldest girl in February of last year to old age and severe arthritis. My youngster, Mary Lou, she would be 10 this April, was the puppy dog love of my life. She saved me from another really crappy year or two when I first got her in 2005. She drove me to pure insanity 50% of the time, but I figured my yelling at her would curse me so that she would live to see 20. I lost her in December to a horrible IBD episode. She went from 56 to 37 pounds in a month and a half. My positive is that her little tiny urn saved me $70. :) I still cry. She was my best friend, the best friend I could ever have. I have my boy, still, that I got in June to take up the space formerly used by Jade. He is a lover, that is for sure. One day I might find another that will rob my heart like my sweet Mary Lou. I know your pain. It just breaks my heart every damn day.
dave and kym - i am so sorry. i have no words because i don't even want to imagine the loss you feel. it's a void like none other. i am so glad that murray did come home with you and that you've been given more time with him. and can i just say, that demeter was the sweetest soul? i'm honored to have met her.