Our life with our pets

Our life with our pets is not always easy. There comes a time in every pet owner’s life where we must make decisions regarding out beloved pet. Some are easy and some are not but we, as their care giver, must always make these decisions with our loved companion’s best interest and well being in mind. We start making these decisions at the first moment we decide to get a pet right up to the moment they must leave us. From this point on I’ll be referring to my loving and devoted best friend, Chyanne.

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Love at first sight

After losing a Siberian Husky puppy to Parvo earlier in 2013, my then wife and I decided to stop and look at some puppies. We walked in, looked them all over and decided to play with a couple of them. When the lady handed us a little Golden Retriever Puppy the decision was made. We both know that this was the puppy for us. She was calm and very lovable, just what we were looking for. So, we decided she was the one and we took her home that night.

A Growing Puppy

One of the most important and best decisions we made for her, was to enroll her into obedience classes. Honestly, I think these classes are better for us then it is for the dogs. Not only did Chyanne learn how to walk on a leash, stay, heal and all that, but we learned how to handle her properly. How to be patient with her as she and I learned to interact together. I felt that it increased our bond because we’re both on the same page. Needless to say, Chyanne excelled in her class and graduated with flying colors.

Her adult years.

As she grew into her adult years, not much in the form of decisions had to be made. She was pretty self-sufficient and all that was needed was love, plenty of love. I took her to her yearly checkups and she was always very healthy. There was just one instance where she had an allergic reaction to something and her face swelled up. Took her to the vets and after a little shot, she was back to herself in no time.

Senior years

Once Chyanne entered her senior years she started to slow down as an older dog would. She still had plenty of spunk in her but the signs of her changing were there. Her face started to become gray and after playing, she would rest for longer periods of time. Chyanne was slowly switched over to a food better designed for senior dogs and she started to take supplements. I had to change her care to adapt to her needs. This kept her going happy and full of life over the next 4 years.

A new child

As Chyanne was entering her senior years is the same time my daughter was born. Being a dog that always had my undivided attention this took her some getting used to. At first it was apparent that she wanted nothing to do with Mia. She wouldn’t look at her and if she got close she would turn and walk away from her. Rather than pushing the issue I decided to let things be and over time they became great friends. We would go for walks and Chyanne would stay close to her or within eye contact.

The last couple of months

Over the last 2 month Chyanne changed drastically. In a 2-month span, she went from being full of energy to hardly moving. She quickly lost weight and slowly took in less and less food and water. When she did get up she would stumble and sometimes fall over. A hard lump showed up on the left side of her neck and an appointment with the vets was made. After examining her, they took samples of the lump and had to send them out for analysis. A few days went by and the results came back, Chyanne had cancer and nothing could be done because it was too aggressive. The mass was growing around her wind pipe making it harder and harder for her to breath. It had also grown across her throat making it hard for her to swallow.

Her Last Week

The last week was the toughest. It was unknown how much time she had so all I could do was to keep her comfortable and she would let me know when her time was. Needless to say, I was shocked. I had no idea that things would progress so fast. In one week she barley ate, drank or got up. By the weekend she was so weak and I could see in her eyes that she was ready. On Sunday I woke up and took her for a ride to see Mia and her mother one last time. Even though we were no longer together she would still take care of Chyanne when I would be out of town.

Together we had to sit my 4-year-old down and explain to her what was going on with Chyanne and that she would no longer be at daddy’s. Thankfully my daughter is super smart and she kind of understood. I was happy they were able to say their goodbyes and Chyanne looked like she appreciated it as well.

On Monday, July 17th 2017 at 04:15 pm Chyanne took her last breath as I laid on the floor with her in my arms. As much pain as I felt as that last breath came out I was also relieved at the same time. This wasn’t about me, it never was, it was about doing what was right for Chyanne. She lived a full and wonderful life. She made lots of friends along the way and sowed me what true unconditional love was. In a way, she prepared me to become a great father to Mia and that life is only what you make of it.

A little letter for you

Chyanne,

I love you and I will always miss you. There will never be another dog that could ever replace you and you will hold a special place in my heat. I want you to know that I’ll be okay and I want you to not be scared. You will forever be young, full of energy and able to play with the other dog at the dog park in the sky. It is because of you and the great people I have around me why I’ll be able to make it through this transition.

Until we meet again my sweet friend I love you.

Love

That Weirdo you looked after all these years.

Pet of the Month information.

Don’t forget to send in your submission for our Pet of the Month. You can send in your submission on Facebook, Instagram or by Email. All submissions need to be in by the end of day on the 25th of each month. The selected Pet of the month will be notified between the 26th to 28th. Please include a clear picture(s) and a little bit about your pet. If you have more than one pet, feel free to submit them together and if selected they will be posted together.

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