Goodbye Old Girl

Last night, we had to say goodbye to a beloved old friend. When Toute joined the Hitzig clan at 5 months old, she was a playful, curious puppy. She was smarter than the average dog, throwing the ball for herself when her people didn't want to do it for her, and figuring out how to retrieve her ball when it got stuck.



When Chase joined our family in 2000, Toute wasn't sure she liked the little puppy, and when Basil joined us in 2006, she established herself as the leader of our household; a pecking order that she would spend a lot of time defending.



In the last couple of years, Toute slowed down considerably, working harder to get up and down the stairs and expending less and less energy barking at the mailman. At 13, she was definitely the old lady of the group, avoiding the rambunctious playing of the other two.



Last night, she came to Myney for a bit of love before succumbing to a seizure which lasted for quite some time. When the seizure was finished, and Toute's faculties returned, Myney got her to the car for a trip to the emergency vet.

She had a second seizure at the vet, and they determined that she was suffering from pretty severe diabetes and liver failure. She was dying, and Myney made the decision that it was time to let her go.



This morning, Basil and Chase are a bit uncertain what's going on. Basil always waits for Toute to finish before eating breakfast. He's not the smartest dog anyway, and he was very confused by Toute's absence. Chase is just a little down today, hanging closer to me and seeking more attention than usual.



As for the people, we're going to remember Toute in her prime, hunting rats and cats, giving hell to bicycles that rode by the house, and guarding the house from point lookout. The portrait of her that Myney commissioned from a local arts school captured her essence beautifully.



Goodbye girl, we'll miss you.