Floyd came into rescue in October of 2015. He was in awful shape.
He had a broken pelvis (which we could not repair), he was deaf, his heart had a grade 5 heart murmur. His mouth was a massive mess, and even though his heart was so bad, a dental was done. He had to have a chance. He lost 14 teeth and I know with all the care Lucinda and Roger gave him, he felt so much better.
Floyd came to live with us and we weren't sure how long he would have-- but we were determined it would be good. He followed me everywhere. He could not do stairs, so if I went up, he would patiently wait for me to come down.
He had the sweetest temperament. One thing about Floyd that I will always remember-- we tripped over him more than all of the other dogs combined! He somehow knew exactly where your foot would be, and managed to get there first. You could turn around-- there he was! You could start to walk, and he would be in front of you. Amazing. I said he had "foot radar." We learned really good balance!
Starlight thought Floyd was just fine.
Even though he was deaf, he still had one eye and could see fine.
He loved to curl up on any bed available, but he did have favorite spots.
By the Christmas tree was a good one. He could see the twinkling lights.
He welcomed the fosters who came. BeeBee soon realized what a nice boy he was.
Floyd loved to wander the perimeter of the yard-- the entire thing. Across the yard, down the right side, follow the ivy down the slope to the other side, up the little hill, then turn around, and come back down, and back to the porch. The last few weeks, he was unable to do that.
When Dash was here, Floyd welcomed another sweet spirit.
He (and Kai Kai) went to a meeting at Fiona's with me. Everyone loved meeting him. And he was a perfect gentleman- he's one of the few fosters who have come to me who didn't have accidents.
He had a favorite place in the kitchen, near where I would be working. He slept so soundly there.
A year ago, we had done xrays and it showed his pelvic break was worse, and his right hip was disentegrating. His back leg muscle mass was declining and his back legs had a hard time holding him up. But, he continued on. He was on heart meds and pain meds, and that helped a lot.
The Sisters, Nala and BeeBee, Floyd and I went to the vet today.
We usually sit on the floor there and Dr. Meador joins us. The Sisters sat near Floyd, as if they knew he was not doing well.
The last two weeks, Floyd has had more trouble walking. He has fallen more (while walking). Floyd always slept by my feet, but he began to fall off the bed. I put a toddler bed there, and a bed rail, but then he fell off the other side of the bed. He began to cry a lot at night-- and it was breaking my heart. Even on meds, he was not doing well. (I never posted all this-- I don't post everything.) His vision was almost gone, and since he was already deaf, it was so confusing. Deaf and blind dogs can still do okay-- but pain, a very bad heart (grade 6 heart murmur, enlarged and a collapsing trachea) and loss of ability to walk well, made his life really hard. I will fix what can be fixed, but we could not fix Floyd anymore. We had done all we could. More meds would have only drugged him, they would not have made the quality of his life better.
We gently held him and let him go. What amazed me was that after he was gone, as we still sat on the floor, the Sisters went to sit closer to him. I've never seen anything like it. It's as if they were comforting him.
I have Floyd's collar and will receive his ashes back in a few days. His collar will join Starlight's, and the rest who have lived him.
I'm so glad Floyd shared his life with us-- he was old when we got him almost three years ago. (He looked young, but we knew he wasn't.) We didn't expect him to live this long, but he had a strong determination to live and keep going. He is now with Starlight and Lexie, and Scooterbug and Cranberry and Pi and so many others. He is pain free, running at the bridge and seeing and hearing everything. Run free now, sweet Floyd. We love you. 💗
6 comments:
Big super hugs to you Linda.
OMG this is so hard to read but I so understand.
What a beautiful memoir. And what a sweet boy. He will be missed by a lot of people. He touched a lot of lives through your posts. Run free sweet boy!
Every time I read on your blog about the loss of a dog I grieve for my heart dog Charlie and other canine members of my household that I have helped to transition to a better life. The pain never goes away for each one, but knowing that one day I'll have a whole pack to greet me is a comforting thought.
As always this and all the other stories have brought me to tears. But a life well lived even briefly is a blessing. Bless you and the babies in your care.
Sweet Floyd.... Linda he did always look so young.
I'm crying so hard reading this...
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