Missing Tessie

Today is Tessie's birthday.

My sweet, shy, gentle Tess. She was the first puppy born and arrived before midnight, so she had a birthday all to herself, though she celebrated with her siblings.

 Even with deformed front legs, she loved to run and could outrun all the other dogs. She was absolutely beautiful with her black curls and silver streaks, but she loved getting wet and dirty.

I have fewer photos of Tess than any of the other dogs . She was shy and when she saw the camera she would hide behind me.

Because she was unsure of herself, I originally crated her with Norma Jean at night. Tess adored NJ, but it wasn't a good fit. Norma Jean's strong personality made Tess even more shy. So I put Tess and Lola together and that worked better. Lola is quiet and patient and Tess started gaining confidence. They became good friends.

Tess was always a big healthy girl, so we were stunned when she was suddenly hit with vestibular disease. We all hoped she'd fight it off and she tried. For two days she struggled to her feet and took a few wobbly steps. After that she couldn't get up by herself. If we stood her on her feet, she'd try to walk but could only managed a few steps.

Then she gave up. She refused to stand even with help. Then she stopped eating. She just lay on her bed looking sad. We knew what we had to do.

Dr B says there may have been a tumor and that she wasn't going to get better. When we came home I sat on the floor with Lola and Norma Jean and showed them her collar. They both sniffed it for awhile, then they both licked my hand. They knew.

 I saw this online this morning and it says it all.