All dogs go to heaven

At least I hope they do! We had our beloved Siberean Husky put to sleep about a week ago. It was a really hard day for both hubby & I. She was only 7 years old and, up until a few months ago, healthy as a horse. We thought she would be with us for a long, long time.

Unfortunately a few months ago, she began exhibiting symptoms we couldn't ignore. The vet guessed that she had bone cancer or an auto immune disease...we couldn't afford to find out for sure...and put her on steroids to see how her body reacted. Initially, she bounced back. We thought we were out of the woods. Then right before Christmas, she started tanking. Her red blood cells and platlets (sp?) were low, and her white blood cell count was high. The vet increased her medication, but every subsequent blood test showed that those same values were moving in the wrong direction. The vet was of the opinion that it was either bone cancer or leukemia.

A couple weeks ago, we decided that we would put her down if she didn't improve at the next visit. And she didn't. We kept her for another five days to love on her and say our good-byes. Didn't make "the day" any easier though. Both hubby & I were blubbering like little kids.

Almost a week has gone by, and the grief is beginning to fade. I still miss her deeply and will for some time to come. But I also know that it's not good for my girls to see me cry every time I go into the backyard. So instead, Ray & I have been talking about her a lot and remembering her in positive ways...stories, pictures, etc. Now that several days have passed, Ray has been asking where she is. We told her that Maya went to heaven to be with "Baby Jesus"...which is a leftover from Christmas. I asked Ray if it was okay if Maya was his dog from now on. She said yes, but she's said several times in the last few days that she misses Maya a lot. (sniff, sniff)

We have a few stuffed husky toy dogs, and she is napping with one now. Makes me a little sad for her. She loved to run after Maya in the back yard during the warmer months. Not sure what it will be like this summer when Maya isn't there. The other hard part is that we don't have a dog. I can count on one hand the number of years in my entire life when I haven't had a dog. Even though I don't want another one right now, I will eventually. And I told hubby to keep my emotions in check. The girls keep us so busy right now that we just don't have enough time to devote to a new one. We talked about waiting a few years before we seriously consider it. Even though I know that's what is best for all of us, it will be really, really hard for me.

Her death has created a big hole in our hearts. One that won't be healed any time soon. We do have one very fat kitty to love on in the meantime. Hopefully she won't take a turn for the worse any time soon; she will be 13 this year. I doubt hubby would mind much if she took a trip to the Great Beyond, but I've had her for a long time. So obviously it would be hard on me to lose two four-legged babies in the same year. In the meantime, I'll do what I can to move forward and teach the kids that sometimes bad things happen, but we can still survive despite the bad stuff.

We decided to have a special picture made in honor of Maya and our other beloved husky, Brandy, who died in 2002. We know of a gal who does beautiful charcoal drawings, so we're going to have a small portrait made of both of them...with their bright blue eyes the only thing in color. I know we did the right thing by them. When they both died, neither dog was the same fun-loving creature we'd loved. It was time for both of them to make friends with Jesus. :)

Many Bible literate people would tell me that animals don't go to heaven, but being the animal lover that I am, I have a hard time believing that. They may be correct, but right now, that's what I need to believe. The thought of not seeing them again makes my heart hurt.

We love & miss you...rest in peace Sweet Maya!