It's been a rough few days

Foxy adopted Sept 20, 2014, died December 19, 2023

Foxy, my little Chihuahau-Terrier mix died December 19, 2023. She was my companion through the hard days after the death of my late- hubby. She was there when my kidneys finally failed and I was put on dialysis. She was there after my hospital stay after my kidney transplant.

She was already a mature dog when I adopted her. Her picture for adoption on the SPCA Carson City, NV site came up the same day my husband, Otto died. My landady picked her up and presented her to me the day after his death. She split my attention from my grief to taking care of her. I fully admit that if I didn’t have her then I may have neglected my health and eventually died.

At the time I had a chronic illness, now in remission, which did not have a successful life rate. Only a very few people have been able to live past 5-10 years with it. Now with new medications many who get the diagnosis of Wegener’s Granulomatosis can live good lives. I was diagnosed with this disease in 2003 after almost dying in the hospital in Germany.

So the last two days of Foxy’s life, I held her and rocked her. She wanted to be held against my chest with her nose in my neck. I had been trying to get her to eat, but by that time she had not eaten anything solid for three days. I successfully gave her broth, but it wasn’t enough.

At the end she died while I slept around 3-5 a.m. next to me. I think before she died she nudged me with her nose and then exhaled. When I found her she was already gone.

I gave her as much of a Viking burial as I could. I washed her, and took her to a pet crematorium with her blanket and favorite toy. They said it would go with her into the fire. It was the best I could do for the companion that had been with me for 9 years and 3 months.

RIP little one.