We really missed having a small dog around the house, so I started searching for my next one. I have always had Pekes, but the last two both had health problems and I decided it was time to look at something else. I was drawn to the Pomeranian and each time I saw one I would ask the owner how they liked the dog. Every time the answer was positive. So, although I vowed that my next dog would be a non-shedding breed, I decided that a Pom would fill the bill quite nicely.
It was hard, but I held off on getting one. I knew that our Shepherd really loved being an only dog and I just didn’t want to make her unhappy by bringing in another pup. Chloe began to look old to me this summer. Her hips started to bother her and she could no longer jump the 3 foot wall to the upper level in the back yard when she went after the squirrels – she had to use the stairs. She also had trouble climbing the flight of stairs to the bird room. Sometimes I would have to take the uneaten bird vegetables downstairs to her if she was having a bad day, but most of the time she slowly made her way upstairs for those coveted veggies.
About a month ago Chloe started acting finicky about her food. She was always a good eater, but we had to change her food because the one she could eat without having an allergic reaction had been discontinued and she seemed not to like the new stuff. This went on for a couple of weeks – we would try different foods and finally we found one and she began to eat normally.
Two days later Chloe had trouble getting up to go outside in the morning. Mark could barely get her back inside before he left for work. When I got up she had no interest in going out, she wouldn’t even lift her head. Two hours later she did get up and go out, but when she came back in and laid down I noticed that her stomach was bloated. A couple of hours later it was even bigger. We took her to the vet as soon as Mark got home – thank God I had purchased a ramp for her earlier this year or we would never have gotten her into the truck.
We saw a new vet that night and she told us there was a note in the file that Chloe was a very good dog – perhaps so no one would be alarmed because of her size. The vet took x-rays and the news was not good. There was a huge mass on her spleen and the fluid in her belly was blood. We were told that if we took her to Cornell right then that they might be able to remove the tumor and she might live six more months. I absolutely refused to put Chloe through that to selfishly keep her alive for such a short time. Then the vet said we could take her home and give her one last night of pampering and say goodbye.
I really couldn’t see that happening. She was obviously in pain and I pointed out to the vet that she weighed over 100 lbs and neither Mark nor I could lift her should she die at home. They brought her back into the room and left us with her to say our goodbyes.
Needless to say, we were completely heartbroken. We expected her to live several more years and to lose her so suddenly like this was devastating. There has been a dog in our house ever since we met – usually two and sometimes three. The house was so empty. Yes, we have the birds, but it’s not the same. We would look for her or think it was time to let her out or time to feed her and realize over and over that she wasn’t there. It was truly awful.
Chloe left us on Monday night. By Wednesday morning I was looking in the paper for puppy listings. We both agreed that we couldn’t stand how empty the house was without a dog. I was glad that I had already chosen the breed of our next pup. I checked petfinder.com and there was actually a 12 week old black Pom pup that needed a home. I tried calling for almost an hour but it was busy. When I finally got through I had to leave a message. I never did receive a return call.
I checked the newspaper. It just so happened that there were five listings for Pomeranian pups. I told myself that I would take a look at all of them and then make my choice. The first person I called gave me an appointment for the next afternoon. The second one said to come right over. I didn’t even take the dog carrier so I wouldn’t be tempted to get the first one I saw.
I was met at the door by at least 10 small dogs – most were Poms, but not all. They were adorable – clean, healthy looking and extremely happy. Both of the puppies that were for sale were black with brown markings, but one of them had a little more brown and although she was a week older, she was the smaller of the two. I held the larger one first and she was a sweetie, but when I held the smaller one she stole my heart – there was just something about her. You guessed it – I bought her right then and there. The breeder even gave me a carrier to take her home in. So much for my plans!
There is nothing like a puppy to help mend a broken heart. Yes, we still miss Chloe terribly, but the pain of her going has been dulled by the sweet puppy kisses of our new baby Sophie Mae.
Cathy
