Dreaming

Joni,pronounced Joany, came in today. A 6 year old border collie mix. I had never met Joni prior to this. It was a slow day as our main doctor is on vacation and one has Tuesdays off. This left us with one doctor, and it just so happens this doctor is the large animal specialist. We had a few small animal appointments throughout the day but overall a very slow day while the one doctor we did have stayed outside in the barn the majority of the time. Everyone was attempting to find something to do while engaging in typical work talk. Joni's dad came flying down the main hallway holding Joni by her top half while her bottom half dangled below. "EMERGENCY! She was hit by a car. Back end may be broken!". We all were sent into a rush as we've been acclimated to dealing with emergency/fast paced situation. Two girls grabbed Joni and whisked her off to X-ray as I ran to the barn to notify the doctor. Just as we already knew, doc ordered x-rays. I hurried into the x-ray room to help because painful dogs can be difficult to maneuver. We took x-rays of her pelvis,abdomen,and chest to check for broken bones and collapsed lungs. X-rays showed horrible breaks to both sides of her pelvis. Doc was finishing up outside so we laid multiple fluffy blankets on the ground to make Joni as comfortable as possible while we waited. We all laid on the ground next to her praying this was a situation that could be fixed. Hoping there was something we could do. Poor Joni was in so much pain. She laid there with her head on my coworkers lap while we all have her lots of love and encouragement. She licked us and looked at us with the saddest yet strongest eyes. She wasn't going to give up. Doc finally came in, looked at us wide eyed while he shook his head. "It's not good. That's not good." We were all devastated. "It can be fixed but it's going to cost quite a bit." We were all hopeful. As doc went to talk to the owner another coworker came in to inform us of what exactly happened. Joni's dad usually took her with him to work on the farm. Today was different as he was driving an uncovered tractor that did not have air conditioning. He didn't want her to get overheated so he said his goodbyes and went off to work. On his way home from lunch he could see Joni patiently waiting on the grass. The truck in front of him noticed her too. Without hesitation, the truck in front of him purposely swerved and ran Joni over, only to get right back on the rode and speed off. We were all infuriated. How could anyone do that? Doc came back to tell us the devastating news. Joni's dad couldn't afford the surgery and made the tough decision to euthanize her. We carried her into the waiting room so her dad could spend a little time with her. We all sat there and cried as we pet her. We didn't know this dog. We had never met her before. That made no difference in our hearts. This is the tough part of our job. No animal deserves that kind of pain or ending. But in the end, we, as humans, have to make the hard decisions to benefit the animals. It was hard. It hurt. Despite what you think, it never gets easier. I hope Joni gets justice. I'm glad she's riding all the tractors in puppy heaven. R.I.P sweet Joni.

This is going to be the hardest one to write. Katie was a 12-13 year old white lab. Katie was a BIG girl. And not fat either. She was tall and muscular. In her old age,she also developed fatty tumors all over her body. A couple cancerous tumors riddled her feet. Katie Bear was the sweetest dog and refused to ever show how much pain she was in. Her parents traveled a lot and have two children so we were Katie's home more and more towards the end. Katie was a special girl. She was the whole reason her parents even met. She pushed them together. When their youngest daughter started having seizures Katie would rush to get her parents then rush to the babies side to check on her. They knew Katie had cancer on her feet and her health was declining but the tipping point was when she was taken to a groomer in Houston and the story gets fuzzy from there. Katie must have fallen in the tub or while getting out because she couldn't stand up when her parents picked her up. She was rushed to us and we took x-rays that only really showed more arthritis in her hips. She was with us the rest of her life. She was in so much pain but still pushed on because she didn't want anyone to be sad. I would go to her kennel in the morning (sans leash because she was a good girl) and she would struggle to stand but once she was up she would wag her tail and do her little Katie smile and slowly walk outside. She was so determined that if you walked faster than her she would force her painful hips to keep up. I always took my time with her and we had a nice stroll to the grass runs every morning. I would sit with her and love on her while I hand fed her wet food. One morning we knew it was getting closer to time because she was chewing on her cancerous feet relentlessly,stopped taking her meds,her tongue was bleeding, and she would hardly get up anymore. We tearfully told her vet that we didn't think it was fair anymore. She contacted her parents who of course knew it was coming. The mom and daughters didn't want to remember Katie in such a way so they stayed home while her dad,the one who had her since she was a tiny puppy, sobbed over his baby. Luckily, I was not there to witness it. I was so so sad the days following and still look for her sometimes hoping it wasn't real but I know my Katie Bear is so happy and relieved now. I'll never forget the last time I saw her. We knew she was going home that night so we took her outside for a long time. Spent time with her. Loved on her. Took lots of pictures(which I can't legally post). And at the end of the day I went to her kennel,kissed her on the nose with tears in my eyes and said "I love you Katie Bear."

Oh my little baby Dixie! Let's start by giving you a visual. Dixie is a 13-14 year old rat terrier. Her blacks have faded to greys and her poor little joints have given to arthritis but let me tell you, this dog is the sweetest and happiest dog there could ever be. I'm starting with Dixie because I cared for her for nearly a year. About a year ago,Dixie's human brother brought her in on an extended board. Both of her parents are significantly older and their health had deteriorated to the point Dixie was sometimes overlooked because dementia is a bitch. Her human siblings did not want to take on the responsibility of a sick geriatric dog,so Dixie was brought to the vet to live until her new home was found. That's kind of a hard deal when you're a little; overweight dog in heart and kidney failure. So Dixie's life became a confusing routine. Every day was: meds,potty,weight loss food,sleep,potty,weight loss food,meds,sleep. Every. Single. Day. Dixie loved us,you could tell,but she was confused and wanted a HOME. Not a stainless steel kennel. We searched and searched but again, no one wanted an old dog that didn't have many years left. Luckily, nearly a year after arriving, an older gentleman looking for an older girl to love found his way to Dixie. Her parents said goodbye,even if they didn't fully understand that, and the older man came and got my sweet Dixie. We hooked her up with a brand new collar and leash. She was beautiful! We sent her to her new home and shed a few tears watching her leave. Dixie is as happy as can be now cuddling with her new human. I'll forever remember that little nub wagging at me every morning. I love my Dixie girl.