As posted earlier, Lulu passed away last Friday. She had recently turned 15 (and was weeks away from celebrating her third ampuversary). Unfortunately, cancer had recently spread to one, and then to many, of her vertebrae. She was on a cocktail of steroids and pain medications, but got to a point where the pain was too great. She also was starting to lose strength in her one back leg and it hurt my heart to watch her struggle to stand up and then struggle again to stay standing.
We had a BBQ for Lulu Thursday night, where we grilled steak, pork chops, and sausages for her. She then got a bacon breakfast and more pork chops the next morning. You can see her enjoying some bacon in the photo above.
At 6 PM on Friday I took her to Hope Vet, where her longtime vet Eliza Lischin and my friend Amie (a vet tech) were waiting for us. Maria, my friend and Lulu's, came with us. We then spent the next hour petting her, sharing Lulu stories, and feeding her a ridiculous amount of bacon and freeze-dried meat. It was seriously obscene how much food she ate. She got full at one point and was still taking treats and placing them next to her. After a breather she'd eat what she had saved.
When she went it was as peaceful as I could have wished. She put her head down, closed her eyes, and was gone...
She was happy, loved, and most importantly, full.
Over the next few months, Lulu's human pals will be sharing their favorite Lulu stories. I hope you'll come back often to read about how this amazing dog touched so many people. And if you want to share your own stories of how Lulu became a part of your life you can email them to me, lulumomma [@] gmail [dot] com.
At 6 PM on Friday I took her to Hope Vet, where her longtime vet Eliza Lischin and my friend Amie (a vet tech) were waiting for us. Maria, my friend and Lulu's, came with us. We then spent the next hour petting her, sharing Lulu stories, and feeding her a ridiculous amount of bacon and freeze-dried meat. It was seriously obscene how much food she ate. She got full at one point and was still taking treats and placing them next to her. After a breather she'd eat what she had saved.
When she went it was as peaceful as I could have wished. She put her head down, closed her eyes, and was gone...
She was happy, loved, and most importantly, full.
Over the next few months, Lulu's human pals will be sharing their favorite Lulu stories. I hope you'll come back often to read about how this amazing dog touched so many people. And if you want to share your own stories of how Lulu became a part of your life you can email them to me, lulumomma [@] gmail [dot] com.
Lulu, we are so sad to hear that you are no longer on this earth, but we know that you and our Jerry are running free and continuing to spread your love and inspawration everywhere.
Our hearts go out to your Mom, we send our love and hope that the pain of losing you can gradually be replaced by the incredibly beautiful, long loving life you shared together.
Posted by: Rene, Jim & Spirit Dog Jerry | August 11, 2009 at 11:51 PM
I didn't know Lulu, but after reading some of these stories and other people's comments, I feel as if I did (and I'm crying as if I did, too!). She was a beautiful girl, and it's obvious she had a beautiful soul.
How wonderful that you were able to have such a fun, celebratory night together. It sounds like you did the right thing, on all accounts. I know how much it hurts, but what an amazing time you two shared. Just try to focus on that when it the hurt is too great.
Posted by: Kristen | September 15, 2009 at 11:00 PM