Chloe'

Last Thursday I had Chloe' put down. I went to a vet I hadn't met before. He lives near Lincoln Park Zoo and helped my sister when she had car trouble last summer. He was so kind to her and the kids, and I knew he was the person I could trust to take care of Chloe'. His office is in Naperville, about an hour drive from Evanston. The sun was shining that day and I played Eva Cassidy on my stereo. Chloe' sat in my lap and watched out the window. Very peaceful, very calm. When we were near the vet, we stopped at Culvers and I got her one of their famous butter burgers, fries and frozen custard. She was so cute. We sat in the car in the sunshine and enjoyed the peace and quiet. When we got to the vet, they put us in a private room where I had quiet time with her. I told her how much I loved her and how having her in my life had made it so much better. I thanked her for being such a good girl all her life. The vet was wonderful. He was gracious and kind. He started out by saying he was sorry we were meeting under these circumstances. He examined Chloe', then looked me straight in the face and assured me I was making the right decision. Even though everyone told me the same thing, it really put me at ease to have his professional opinion. She was strong to the very end and my heart broke when he said she was gone. He stayed in the room with me until I was ready to leave. Driving home I thought about all the wonderful times I had with her. And know she will be in my heart forever. Chloe' meant so much to me and I will treasure the memories of her always. This is the last picture of us taken that afternoon.

Tuesday, Feb 13

I'm home sick today with a bad cold. It is snowing like crazy outside. Rudy my Dachshund was leaping in the snow, ears flying in the air. He's so little, the snow drifts bury him. But he keeps leaping. In spite of feeling sick, I went out and shoveled the driveway and sidewalk for my sister who will be home soon with her 4 kids. Just as I finished, my neighbor came home from work and told me he planned to do our driveway with his snowblower. Oh well. I crocheted fancy dog collars for a Dachshund Benefit held on Feb 11th. I had so much fun making them. I haven't been very good about posting on my blog. I will make an effort to be more diligent. My parents drove from Hampton, MN to Evanston, IL to visit us for a week. They went home yesterday. We had alot of fun and the week went by too quickly. Mom and her dog Puppy attended the benefit with me on Sunday. He was a typical Chihuahua and showed his teeth at anyone who tried to pet him. No one minded. Apparently people expect Chihuahua's to behave that way. Just like you expect a Labrador to wag it's tail and lick you. I'm supposed to see The Carmelites at the Lyric Opera tomorrow but if I am sneezing, sniffling and coughing, I won't go. On Thursday I am taking Chloe' my nearly 14 year old Cocker Spaniel to be put down. She has cancer in her leg and it is time.


It is heartbreaking. She was diagnosed with Cushings Disease two years ago and I expected to lose her to that. Cancer came out of no where. She is not a candidate for surgery for many reasons. Her age, the Cushings, heart murmur, reduced immune system and ability to heal. If she survived surgery, the growth is deep in the soft tissue and the surgeon would probably amputate her leg. It's not fair to put her through that. She has started to collapse on the leg with the growth, and I don't want the growth to burst. It is a terrible position to be in. I know I'm not the first person to lose their dog. To age, to sickness, or for any other reason. But loss is loss no matter what the circumstances. My family gave me a Dachshund for Christmas 2005.

He was a rescue dog named Rudy. He has been good company for Chloe' and kept her on her toes. I know he will miss her very much and will be lonely without her. When the time is right, I will look for a second Dachshund. I truly believe dogs should come in pairs. To comfort me, my niece Claudia (9) said "Aunt Tam, you're just going to have to go through this again in a few more years with Rudy". My sister said "Claudie, why don't you squeeze more lemon juice in Aunt Tam's wounds". It provided some comic relief. My nephew Asconio (6) wanted to know if the vet will give me back her clothes and also who I was inviting to her funeral. I am flying to Florida on Friday for a long weekend in Naples. A group of us go every winter to visit our friend Kari (since we can't get her to come to Chicago). Claudia wants to go online so I am going to sign off. Happy Knitting!