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Polly
Polly here again. Well, I had a great run in Richmond, but unfortunately, I've been sick for the past few months and have gone over to the Rainbow Bridge. It was really tough, but here's my story I moved to Richmond with my new parents in 2003. They had just lost their Barney boy, and I came into their lives when they contacted the good folks at Pet Harbor where I was staying. I loved my new parents sooooo much. Although they were really busy, they took such great care of me. I especially loved belly rubs from Mom, and I followed Dad everywhere. Although I didn't see much of my brother and sister because they lived far away, when they came to visit, we had such a good time.
Dad even took me to a training class with about 10 other dogs so I could learn a few tricks and improve my manners around others. And you know what—I won the competition for the most doggie sit-ups in 15 seconds!! They gave me a ribbon and a medal, and I got to pick out my own toy!! I picked a little green fuzzy bunny. I always liked little soft toys. Dad used to get me an orange bone and a rainbow frog which I proceeded to tear up in no time. Boy that was fun!! Anyway, remember Mom's brother? He lost his wife really young; at age 53, of cancer. It was really sad. He came to visit and I did my best to try to make him laugh.
Last year I even went on a boat ride!! Some friends of Mom and Dad invited them to their house on the water and they invited me too!! I loved to sit up and let the wind push my ears back. It was so much fun. Anyway, earlier this year, I got really sick with something called osteosarcoma, or bone cancer. (That’s a big word for a little dog!). It was the worst kind of doggie cancer, and the doctor said my best chance of living for a while was to remove one of my rear legs. We decided to give it a try. I really didn't like hobbling very much, but we all made it work. Dad worked with Mom's brother and they built me a ramp to get outside so they wouldn't have to carry me. I still went on a bunch of walks. I couldn't go two miles any more, but I did go pretty far, and I loved doing it. You know I always loved a real challenge like that. I was doing pretty well, but then got sick again with something different. There's some things inside me called kidneys that stopped working right. I got really tired, and I just couldn't eat very much, because my tummy hurt so much. I really, really tried to get better, because I just loved being around Mom and Dad so much, but I just couldn't do it. So today, my vet came to my house, and helped me take a nap so I wouldn't hurt any more.
And Mom and Dad will be fine. I know they're really bummed out right now, but they have such good memories about me, and they knew I was really, really sick, and they really did the best they could, and I love them for it. They have lots of pictures, and they even did a paw print. And they can always go visit my brother and sister and their families and play with their doggies and kitties, although Batman will just bat at them. He's really a pain. Anyway, that's it for now. I had a great run, and I can't thank my people or the good people at the Pet Harbor (www.petharbor.org), Dog Services (www.dogservicesva.com) and Betty Baugh’s clinic (www.bettybaughsanimalclinic.com) enough. They are really great and I love them all. Survivor Stories Please submit your pet's story to our web-site. We would love to hear from you and encourage you to share your story so that others may benefit from your situation. Submit stories to info@fetchacure.com |
I did have kind of a rough time adjusting because I just didn't know how to behave just right. But my people had a lot of love and a lot of patience and worked with me, and I did get rid of most of my bad habits. I was great with other big dogs, but I never developed a liking for small dogs. I mostly didn't like cats, but I did make friends with one named Willy; we even rubbed noses. I also loved to bark at squirrels and big trucks and I wanted to chase them. (I ran up to a Fedex truck in the neighborhood once and I barked at the driver and he laughed at me). I had a trainer who helped me with my behavior and helped me learn how to play better. And I did earn the “good dog” collar!! I wore it so much that it tore apart; so I ended up wearing one of Barney’s collars. That was ok. I also had a great group of doctors who took such good care of me--they checked me out every year; made sure everything was ok, and even helped out a couple of times when I got hurt or sick.
A lot happened while I lived here. Shortly after I got here, Mom's dad passed away, so she was sad. My job was to help by making her laugh a lot. I was pretty good at that. But Mom's brother and his wife came to visit us real often, so I got to know them pretty well. Then we moved to a new house!! I was scared of it at first, but it was really neat because most everything was on one floor and it was near some really cool woods with lots of squirrels and rabbits and I even saw some deer!! Sometimes when they weren’t home I’d go upstairs and just stretch out on the landing and stare out the big window. My new house was also near a big lake, and Dad took me walking around the lake a lot. It was almost two miles, so I sure was tired when I got home. Mom and Dad took a few trips; and I went to camp at Dog Services. One time it was for a really long time and I got a little bored, but the people there took really good care of me. I just loved them.
The best things were when my brother and sister brought home some new special people with them. I heard these new people became part of my family, and they all got a whole bunch of animals just like me. My sister and her husband got three cats and a dog--that poor dog!!!! One of the cats was named Batman and I heard about him all the time--he would terrorize everything!! My brother and his wife got a big dog that acts like Scooby Doo.
I know Mom and Dad are really sad about it, but it's better for all of us. I've gone to the Rainbow Bridge. And you know, I got my leg back!!! It took me a while, but I found Barney. He's really great and we're already best friends. You know, when Dad found me, he wanted to find somebody that reminded him of Barney; and you know, we look something alike, but Dad really messed up because our personalities are so different. Barney got a good laugh out of that when he met me. I’m like a dog in a comic strip and Barney is more like Yoda. He really wanted to know how our sister was doing since he was really her dog, and I told him she's doing great, even though she has cats. And you know, I also met all his friends--Taz, Crunch, Lucy, Cody, Sesame, and a bunch of others.