Warning: This is a post about our Lucy. She lost her battle with cancer 2/23/15. We were privileged to be her humans, and I am going to tell her story as best I can here. You might cry, you will definitely laugh, but most importantly, you will understand what an awesome dog she was.
Dan finally agreed to get a dog for our family for my 29th birthday! We felt that saving a dog from the Orange County pound was the only way to go. We spent a few days there checking out the many dogs they had. When Lucy came to meet us in the play yard, something special happened. I knelt on the ground and she came up to me very cautiously yet tender. She put her two front paws on my lap, let me pet her, let me meet her while she sniffed me, then darted away! She started running circles as if to say, "Okay, now let's go home and play!" I knew she was the one from that very moment. Sadly, we had to leave her there for a day to get some shots and be neutered. In a few days she was welcomed to our home.
Lucy, previously known as Cocoa, had been abandoned in an apartment that her previous owner was evicted from. Having been left for days with no food or water, she made her way to the pound. She was pretty skinny when we got her, so we had a mission to love on her and get her healthy again. Her first night home was after her surgery to neuter her. They warned us to only start with a little bit of water the first night. We put down a whole bowl. She drank it all up. She then vomited on Dan's feet. That's when Dan knew she was the one! Welcome to the family Lucy!
Lucy LOVED spending time outside. Especially in the sun. She would lay in the grass in the dead of summer just panting away and soaking up the rays. We joked that she was out there "Tanning her Cocoa parts". She had a little bit of brown fur behind her ears and on the backs of her legs and since her original name was Cocoa, this little joke seemed really funny to us!
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| I love grass |
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| One of my favorite pictures of her. She chewed a hole through this fabric Frisbee. When she got to running around the yard with it, it flipped over her head. I think this is the way she preferred it |
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| Daddy's girls waiting for him to get home |
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| A pretty Christmas pooch |
We named Lucy after the Peanuts character since she had black fur. We completed her look with a blue collar, just like her namesakes dress. Lucy isn't the only name she knew. There was Lu, Lulu, Lucy Boots, Boots, and Booters. (Boots because her two front paws looked as if she had white boots or socks on them)
Lucy was a mix of Border Collie and Labrador. The Border Collie in her made her one smart pooch. She learned to sit, stay and lay down very quickly. This also meant that she was a breed with one of the highest amounts of energy. Yay!! This dog couldn't be exhausted very easily. Some of her Collie came out with our play time in the back yard. She love running circles as fast as she could. If you stood in the middle of the yard, she would circle you as if rounding you up like a heard of cattle. She could cut corners so closely, and run right past your legs, turning on a dime. What a great time we had with her.
Lucy and Dan shared a passion. SLEEPING! Here they are doing just that, together...
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| She was NEVER spoiled by Grandpa! |
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| We NEVER let her sleep in bed with us... |
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| She did a great job with the nursery |
I couldn't have asked for a better dog to bring a baby home to. She just knew that Sophie was her newest human and that she would take care of her. She was so eager to meet her when we brought her home, she just couldn't contain herself. She was always so gentle with Sophie and let her explore her ears, paws, and her tail. She even let Sophie get away with a few pokes to the eyeballs. What a gentle girl she was...
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| Just checkin' on ya.... |
Our walks feel very lonely now... Lu never missed an opportunity for a walk. If I got my shoes and hat on, she knew immediately what was going on and wouldn't let me get out the door without her. Now I feel like something is missing when I step out of our front door. She was a good walking companion.
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| "Lucy Boots is my best friend" : Sophie |
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| That one time Lucy spooned me |
Dan and I have a joke we like to tell about Lucy.
What is Lucy's favorite winter Olympic sport?
Curling
(As seen in the picture below)
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| She loved giving kisses |
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| She appreciated a nice car ride with the windows down. |
Every once in a while, Lucy was lucky enough to get facetime privileges with her cousin Lola. Not much was said between the two, but they enjoyed staring at each other.
In May of 2014, we got some devastating news. In about a week, I noticed she had suddenly gone blind. I took her to the vet and she noticed her lymph nodes were swollen. A sample was taken and we discovered she had lymphoma. Some swelling had occurred near her face that caused some pressure in her eyes, making her unable to see. Chemotherapy was offered at an astounding price, and this treatment would not make her a survivor, just prolong her life. Steroids were the next option to reduce the swelling in the lymph nodes. We opted for the steroids and waited to see what would happen. After a few days on the meds, her vision came back and she was pretty much back to her old rambunctious self. The vet had said that she might only live for another one to three months. We were heartbroken. Lucy was only about six years old. We decided to make the most of the time we had left with her.
In true Lucy fashion, she told cancer to "F off"! After her steroid therapy started, she bounced back to her old self. We were astonished! We didn't see her slow down for a long time. I took her back to the vet once a month to refill her medication, and each time I went in, I asked to see her doctor. I wanted her to see Lucy, and see how well she was doing despite our diagnosis. As the months passed, the look on the doctors face grew more and more interested. We agreed that Lu was a medical mystery and a very special pup. In some way, someone knew we needed more time with our girl and granted us that. She lived 9 months after her diagnosis. That's my Lu, a dog that's not going down without a fight!
Lucy had her choice of food towards the end of her battle. Needless to say it was not her normal dog food. She partook in some glazed doughnuts with the family a few mornings in a row. She helped Sophie finish her sub sandwich for lunch, a delicious ham and cheese slim from Jimmy John's. She even got some chocolate cupcake for her dessert. To top it all off, just the way she wanted it, she dinned on cat poop from our front yard. I didn't stop her...
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| My motivating workout partner |
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| Here we are hiding in the bedroom from the thunder storm |
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| Christmas treats! |
Lucy was such a good dog. It may be cliché to say this, but I don't think we'll ever find another dog that compares to her. I hope Sophie remembers her and how kind she was and what a loving dog she was towards her. If she doesn't, I can help retell the story with all of these wonderful pictures I have of them together. I get sad thinking that her time with us was too short. But in that little time she spent with us, she had such a huge impact on our lives, and played a very important part. I hope you feel better now Lu, because we miss you terribly here.
I'm not sure what is going to bring me peace at this time, but I heard of this poem from some other animal lovers. It's called "The Rainbow Bridge" by an unknown author. For now, it will do...
Just this side of heaven is
a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close
to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills
for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is
plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and
comfortable. |
All the animals who had been
ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are
made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and
times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing;
they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes
when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent.
His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over
the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your
special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be
parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the
beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long
gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... |
