Brotherly Love

There are good dogs and then there are great dogs. Dana falls into the "great dog" category. She was such a serious puppy. From the day we brought her home, 12 years ago, she took on the task of watching over our family, especially her brother/litter mate, Fox.

Fox was the clown and the one always getting into trouble. On walks in the woods or in the long hallways of the renovated factory building where I have my studio, Fox was always too far ahead, sticking his nose into everything, while Dana would keep pace with us slower humans, making sure we didn't get lost.

Not that she didn't have a fun-loving and mischievous side. It's hard to believe that the 60 and 70 pound dogs were once so small that they could play tag under and around the coffee table and play tag under the couch. I'm sure she played a major part in the chewing up the floor, the walls and baseboards in the mud room. I nailed plywood sheets over the chew holes in the walls, mainly to cover electrical outlets that may have been next on their list of things to destroy. After a little painting, it wasn't too bad a job. The effect was sort of shabby chic wainscoting.

We finally got around to replacing the floor, drywall and baseboards this past winter. It was just one of those things that we never seemed to get around to. After all, what's more important, spending time and money on replacing a linoleum floor or taking walks with and buying toys and treats for dogs?

She was always the first to spot trouble. Usually in the form of a squirrel or chipmunk. She was persist ant and usually managed to wear us down when it came to getting treats. She perfected the forlorn look and more often than not, I'd find her positioned right in the path past the cookie jar to my easy chair.

From her favorite resting spot in the living room, she could watch over all of us whether we were in the living room, family room or kitchen. We decided to get two dogs because my husband and I work full time and, although we spent all of our free time with the dogs, they were home alone for nine or ten hours at a time. Even as they grew and stopped playing "puppy games" they seemed to enjoy being together on car rides and long walks. The only time they were separated was the overnight Fox spent at the vet's, recovering from cancer surgery two or three years ago.

In late June Fox became ill. A trip to the vet and lots of test didn't determine the cause. We took care of him as best we could but it was soon obvious that we would have to let him go. As anyone who has been in this position knows, it isn't easy but as you also know, it is the right thing to do.

Once the decision was made, I took the first appointment I could get, even if it meant, my husband wouldn't be able to be there with us. I wasn't sure what to do with Dana. Should I take her with us, or leave her home. She made the decision for me. As I struggled to get the 70 pound Fox into the back of my SUV, Dana jumped in beside him. I guess she was going with us.

We sat together in the vehicle until the vet was ready for us. Being a really hot July day, I couldn't leave Dana in the car, so she came in with us. I held him and cried as he drifted away from us. Thankfully it was an easy transition for him. As I was ready to leave, Dana walked over to him and touched his ear.

There were many days of tears after that but I was so glad we had Dana to hug and love. She wasn't eating well, but that was to be expected. Still, a vet visit seemed like a good idea. Yes, she was depressed. Antidepressants might work. I decided to give her another week to see if we couldn't work it out and made a follow up appointment for the next week.

We were giving her Reiki treatments which seemed to calm her but did not bring her spirits up. I took her everywhere with me, including work. She ate less and less. Changing food didn't work very well. Feeding her "people food" didn't either. Finally, the day before her follow up appointment she stopped eating all together.

A frantic call got us an evening appointment. We stayed home from work and cuddled most of the day. Around 5 o'clock Dana left my side and walked across the room to lie down. I saw her start to shake and ran to hold her. A second later, she was gone.

I'm sure there is some medical reason she died. But I know the real reason was her need to continue to be with and take care of her little brother. I respect her decision and love her all the more for it.