Sasha, AGAIN! Bless her heart.
(A Summertime Sasha Picture)
I have folks tell me that "She's just a dog" and that they would put their own down if their care cost more then the cost of buying a new dog. Seriously, that gives me a bad feeling about folks like that. Sure if the dog had cancer or something painful and incurable, I could see putting an animal down. But to me, when you take on an animal into your life its a commitment, not just with love or time, but with money as well. If you are NOT fully committed to the care of a creature wholly dependent on you for it's well being, then you DON'T need an animal companion in your life! This is just a sick symptom of our throw away society, when our loyal dogs get put down for being inconveniently expensive. Sasha has been a costly dog since day one. All kinds of medical issues but none were incurable. Right now she has a hematoma in her ear which causes her ear to puff up like a pillow full of blood. Once more she wears a lampshade, just days from getting her stitches out from her last big surgery. She's pouting. She has a funky bandage on her ear. Sasha was given to my husband as a year old pup, not wanted by her previous family. She had heart worms and bad skin and ear infections. She had anxiety. She was treated for her medical problems, given lots of love and she truly is a sweet heart of a dog. She is the love of the neighborhood kids who love to play with her or walk her. She is a loyal dog, who wants nothing but to shake paws with you and to sit out in the sunshine. 10 years old now she still gets bad ear infections constantly, gets mysterious rashes and lumps that all have to be treated. However, you can't be in a room with her without falling instantly in love and this coming from some one (me) who isn't a dog person. All the dogs of the world could be golden retrievers, and I would be happy.
4 seeds of thought:
Even cancer can be "worth" treating. Vincent Who Came Before lived 3 1/2 more years with cancer and treatment. He never complained about it and kept on eating throughout the whole process (he was a big kitty and loved food). The cancer didn't get him. Kidney failure and real pain and he had to be helped to the Bridge a week after diagnosis. Mommy is almost done paying for it all 2 years later but still thinks it was definitely worth it.
We hope Sasha feels better soon and gets some yummy treats for putting up with the lampshade. Purrrrs.
Doesn't it break your heart when people are so thoughtless about animals and their needs? I, too, have a high needs dog with IBD and stress issues and she is so wonderful and worth every penny. I thank goodness that I can take care of her. One of my best friends once told me during a really bad time that God had given her to me because he knew I would take care of her. Both my dogs are shelter dogs and wonderful. You are a good person and Sasha is beautiful and loves you -- she's lucky to have you.
What a sweet post! Sasha's lucky to have such a caring mom!
What a wonderful blog entry! So close to my heart too. I concur with every word. Dogs, and especially older dogs have a wisdom that is almost tangible. We got our Buddy from a re-homing centre when he was 10 and he was severely neglected. I sometimes wonder if they just couldn't be bothered with the expense of an older dog. Their loss!
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