Today my mom's dog, Baby, was put to sleep. She was 10 years old. My mother is absolutely devastated.
I got Baby when I was 18 years old from our local shelter. She was 8 weeks old. I went there looking for a puppy as my mom said I could get one since I had a job (McDonald's) to care for one. When I went in to look at all the puppies, I immediately had my eye on some German Shepard puppies but this other puppy would NOT stop barking and dancing around in the little cage. She kept drawing my attention away from the German Shepard puppies. I went over and looked at her and she was just so...spunky. I fell in love. I asked to take a better look at her and as soon as they got her out of the cage and sat her on the floor, she peed everywhere. LOL!! For some reason, I thought that was hilarious. I brought her home that day. My mom fell in love with her and insisted on referring to her as "Baby" even though I had named her "Daisy". Pretty soon I was calling her Baby too. She was a perfect fit for my mom and I, even though most people would say she wasn't well behaved, we loved her just the way she was. She would bark at me if I was singing (I have a horrible singing voice). She'd steal my sister's underwear and my sister would have to chase her all over the house to get them away from her. She was a bed hog and would split her time at night between my mom's bed and mine. She would enthusiastically greet visitors at the door and snub people she didn't like, namely my sister. When I would get off work at midnight, she'd be laying by the door waiting for me and greet me like she hasn't seen me in years.
When I met my boyfriend and eventually we decided to move in together, I didn't take Baby with me. She was so attached to my mom and I didn't want to move her out of the only home she'd ever known. For months after I moved out, she'd snub me when I came over like she was mad at me for leaving.
As she got older, she mellowed out. When my mom eventually became disabled with severe arthritis, she was the perfect companion for my mom as my mom couldn't leave the house very often. I really loved this dog. She was amazing.
Two weeks or so ago my mom noticed that Baby was dropping weight and had little "bumps" over over her. She took Baby to the vet and it was discovered that she had cancer. They kept her there for several days and finally let her come home last Monday, pending surgery to have the tumors removed. My mom took her back to the vet today because this morning Baby was unable to stand up. My mom made the decision to have her PTS.
My mom called me a little while ago and told me the news. She is so devastated that I can't describe it. She is so riddled with guilt. I told her that she has nothing to feel guilty about and she did everything possible to save Baby.
I'm also devastated. My mom asked me if I would bury Baby out here, so she could always be around someone that loved her. I, of course, said yes.
Rest in Peace, Baby Love.
I hate when the best things in life have to come to an end..Give your mom a hug from all of us here in Mississippi
