More Goodbyes

Every year seems to have a theme. Last year was teenage challenges. 2024 seems to be about saying goodbyes too early. We went to Texas for a few days of our Spring Break. We were having so much fun that, on the way home, we discussed taking a detour and extending our vacation. I'm glad we decided against it. When we got home we noticed that our sweet princess, Fetcha, was acting off. She was drinking a TON of water. As the night progressed she started getting worse. But, if you know Fetcha, you know she's been a fighter since the day she adopted us about 10 years ago. She left an abusive house to come to ours. She was hit by a car shortly after she adopted us and lived to tell the story. She has dealt with arthritis from that accident but didn't let it slow her down.

But at 4am on March 13, P woke me up in a panic telling me that Fetcha's breathing was off. She has been his dog from Day 1 and he had been up with her most of the night, comforting her and assuring her that we would take her to the vet as soon as they opened. However, she didn't live long enough for that to happen. Shortly after I got to her she had a seizure. As P and I petted her and reminisced about various memories with her, telling her she was about as perfect of a dog as we could've had and that she was so loved, she took her last breath and crossed the Rainbow Bridge. 

She had been in our lives for 10 years and we deducted that she was 13-14 years old when she passed away. For 10 years we loved her and gave her the best life possible. We laughed that she was more like a cat than a dog. She kept to herself unless she wanted a slice of cheese while I was cooking. At our old house, her favorite place was the picture window, where she would lie for hours, watching the boys play in the front yard. She would go lay on the bathroom mat every night and put herself in her crate promptly at 8pm every night. You could set your clocks to her. She didn't tolerate many other dogs but loved her brother, Rebel, no matter how much he annoyed her. 

Rebel has really grieved since Fetch passed away. We have taken him on more walks, have let him go with us whenever possible in the car (his favorite past time) and have spoiled him with Pup Cups from local coffee venues. But he was not meant to be alone. We're discussing getting another dog because we are a 2 dog family and because Rebel really misses having a sibling. We would never replace Fetcha and I don't know how we could even if we wanted to. She was close to perfect for us and was about the most low maintenance dog ever. She is missed daily, especially by her boy. But I am so glad that we got to love her for the past 10 years! Rest in peace, our princess. You are missed.