I've been putting this off long enough. I guess I'd better get this done.
I lost my Pearl after many years of fighting heart disease and hypertension, to that insidious disease we collectively know as cancer last Friday.
It was an incredibly fast growing cancer. Fibrosarcoma. Multiple liver tumors were measured at 20 cm. in less than 2 weeks after splenectomy surgery in which they were undetected.
I still have three girls, Onyx, the old lady at 14, Diamond, Pearl's sister who lost her leg to OS just 3 months ago, and Opal, the 5 yr old. As much as I hate to say it, the three of them put together can't fill Pearl's paws.
Pearl was my heart and soul. She forced me to overcome my grief at the loss of Brindle 8 yrs ago. She'd been with me only 3 weeks at that time. And there was no grieving if she had any say in the matter.
She was the goofball Topaz was. I had lost Topaz 2 yrs earlier and she was the reason I adopted Pearl. I needed a white/black goofy girl.
Here she's leaping onto the bed.
She was diagnosed with heart disease the next year and hypertension a year or two after that. But no one could ever tell that she was the "sick" one in my pack. She was the most active of the four of them. Only me and her doctors knew.
She played fetch. Always returning the stuffie to me to throw again.
She was a southpaw. Yup....dogs are left handed or right handed just like people. And she was left handed.
She played yoo-hoo. (the canine version of hide and go seek).
She gave me hugs. Big hugs.
She smiled. It was a little smile, crooked, that I said was an Elvis smile. (4 of the 6 greys I've owned smiled that toothy grin that looks like a snarl)
She played a mean tug-o-war with me, Opal or both of us in a three way tug.
She always sounded like she was going to kill her sister when they played. But she growled like that only with her sister (Diamond) and it was just play.
She would greet me with a high pitched squeal when I came home from work (God I'm going to miss that).
She snuggled on the couch with me. She slept in bed with me. If I was in my office, she was there.
There's no one here in the office with me now as I write this. There was no one on the sofa or bed last night.
She would never let me put on my coat without asking "can I come too?" I put on my coat yesterday to shovel snow. No one knew I left the house.
And.....she loved the snow. She missed the big storms this week. (it figures)
If I needed to get Pearl into the car alone (like to take her for her BP exam) all I had to do was give her "the look" and she would sneak to the door leading to the car. She LOVED the car and having solo rides with her Momma.
I feel like I'm dogless now. I so need a hug.
Goodbye my baby. Momma misses you SO MUCH!