I wake in the morning wondering. How long will it take? How many mornings will I wake up with this empty feeling in the pit of my stomach?
Mornings went something like this. Walking Gracie around the yard. Holding her hind end up when she would need to potty. Hugging her. Telling her I love her so much, so very much. Letting her know it was okay when she decided she did not want to do this anymore. More mini walks around the front yard so she could smell different smells. Guiding her over to my office on the other side of the garage so she could receive her fortune cookie. More hugs. More love. Worrying over her lost state. Watching her sleep and being comforted by her contentment.
Afternoons we would plan a walk down by the tracks if weather permitted. It couldn't be too hot - or even raining. She'd love those walks. They were more like sniff's towards the end since she didn't make it very far.
Evenings: She had graduated from Arby's roast beef to Roy Rogers roast beef. Much more expensive and a bit out of the way - but so much better quality. She refused to eat anything else then, aside from some of her other favorites like corn on the cob or even her dry prescription diet food. Every day her daddy would make sure she had her favorite roast beef. She always ate her 'medicine treat' in the morning before all the other treats her daddy would put out for her. It's like she knew - this would keep her hips healthy so that she could continue to walk. After dinner, she would shadow her daddy as he would go out back to water plants and check on things around the house. When he'd lie on the bed talking to his mom, Gracie would putter up the ramp and settle onto the bed beside him. It was daddy's time with our girl.
I was her go-to for health-related issues, potty time, and guidance when her eyes and hearing became weak. She could feel my love when I'd hold her face close to mine and tell her how much I loved her. I just know she could feel my love.
At night, she'd take a long nap while we watched tv, then wake to be taken outside for potty. Then inside for treats before bed. If she would still be sleeping when we'd go to bed, daddy would scoop her up and put her onto her place in the bed, at my feet.
She was more than a dog. She was our 'together child'. We loved her fiercely. We miss her terribly.
This video says it all:
