Hard Day Coming

9 years ago in January 2002 my husband, daughter (age 4), son (age 1), and I went the Anchorage Animal Control facility to look for a dog. We didn't know who we were looking for until we found her. Her paperwork said she was found running loose on the opposite end of town from where we lived. It said she was an approximately 1  year old Lab/Setter mix, weighed 60 pounds, was house trained, and appeared to be well mannered. We all liked her and she seemed to like us so we decided to adopt her. We took her home the same day and my husband named her Jessie. 

The next week we took Jessie to a vet for a check up and to get spayed. He told us she was most likely only about 10 months old and still had some growing to do. *smile* We thought a 60 pound dog was large enough, but OK. She eventually topped out at about 90 pounds.

Through the years she has been a loyal, protective, loving dog. Her worst habit was stealing food occasionally. I can't even count how many unattended PB&J's she ate over the years. Under the dining room table was her domain, if it hit the floor it was hers. The night before we left Alaska to move Washington we left her with a friend because the hotel we were staying at wouldn't allow her in the room, she cried in my friend's yard all night long and just about jumped out of her skin when we came to get her the next day. She was protective of her family, even friends of ours she had met before were weren't welcome after dark if my husband wasn't home.

She's been with us through a lot. Sometimes as an annoying pain in the butt but a beloved family member all the same. She's been slowing down some but up until recently always had enough energy to give the cat a good run for her money across the yard, along with any unsuspecting crows she happened to see out there. None of the other birds bother her, but crows? She hates them. 

In January of this year she started limping off and on. I started giving her aspirin and glucosamine. Labs and their hips, ya know, there's just not much you can do. The limp got worse and worse until about a month ago when she just stopped putting her right back foot down at all and started hopping on three legs. Now the other back leg is showing signs of weakness, she's having trouble laying down. Getting back up is even worse. Her eyesight seems to be going too, she has turned and bumped her head on doorways and chairs quite often lately. I can't seem to get her pain under control, I'm afraid of upsetting her stomach by giving her too much aspirin, she lays around panting and it's nowhere near hot.

We, as a family,  have decided that tomorrow we will let her go. I know she is suffering right now and letting her go is for the best but it doesn't make it any easier. Tonight she'll get all the pizza crusts she wants, lick all the plates, and get her medicine wrapped in sandwich meat. Farewell tomorrow my sweet Jessie-dog, you're the best we've ever had.