Guest LazyBones Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 poor old pokey. yesterday we had to say goodbye. over the last month, she was starting to decline. i had taken her in to get something for her arthritis, and those meds didn't help. a week later, i took her back in to try her on something else, and she was placed on 3 other meds as well. she had been losing weight, was badly arthritic, was going into heart failure, and bordering/going into kidney failure. she also having other (not as serious) senior problems, such as hearing loss/vision problems, occasional incontinence, and i think she was declining mentally as well. even my brother's friend, who was over the other day, said she seemed "confused." this past week, she really was getting bad with her major problems. i think she was telling me it was time. when we arrived at the vet's office, i explained what was going on, and the vet said she could try putting pokey on IV lasix and switching her diuretic meds and such, and try that for a couple days to see how pokey does and essentially to give us time to spend with her. with treatment, the vet said, pokey would likely have lasted only about a few more months. however, i didn't want to be selfish to her. she was an old girl, possibly as old as 15 (don't know her true age), and it was not realistic to expect her to recover from all her major problems and have a quality life. the vet was having trouble at first administering the shot, but once the full dose was administered, pokey was gone in just a couple seconds. she died quickly and peacefully in my arms. pokey was the epitome of the wonderful pets found through shelters. i was only 13 when my mom, my aunt, and i first saw her. mom had just bought the house, and i had asked about getting a dog. she insisted, however, that we were going to save a life and were not going to get one out of the paper or anything. my aunt was trying to convince us to get a mutt, saying that purebreeds don't have much personality. it was weird-we first looked in shelters in memphis one saturday. i saw a lot a couple dogs i liked, but they too big for mom's liking. she was looking at the little dogs, but i wasn't seeing "the one." we were about to give up for the day, when mom said, "why don't we go to the local shelter?" we did, and there was a whippet with a little (unrelated) puppy in a cage, of all places, in the CAT room. it was love at first sight. my aunt was kinda surprised that i wanted "THAT dog." i asked mom if this dog was okay, sizewise, and she said yes. however, on this day, she was not available for adoption. she had been recently picked up as a stray, and had to be held for a few days to see if anybody would claim her. she did have a collar on, but no tags. i asked if i could walk her around the lot, to get a feel for her personality. we were told she'd go up for adoption on thursday morning if she hadn't been claimed. thursday came, but it was also a school/workday. mom got permission from work to go down to the shelter pretty much when they opened up, so she could go snatch her up if still there. i was at school, on pins and needles. i was told not to get my hopes up, but i was still anxious for the end of the schoolday. it was a rainy day. when mom went to pick her up, she had poop on her. that was taken care of once mom brought her to her new forever home, as well as the car which smelled of poop. when the final bell rang at school, i was walking very fast on my way home, not knowing what to to expect. when i opened the door, she was right there to greet me with her tail wagging. she was home. she also had a little playmate--a ferret named jinx. this is what surprised me. pokey had a very strong prey drive. she'd go after squirrels, bugs, birds, cats, etc--but she loved jinx. when jinx dissappeared, pokey was devastated, and she did grieve. we had a console tv back then, and it was jinx's favorite hiding spot. anytime we had to pull the tv out, even long after jinx dissappeared and after getting a new (regular) tv, pokey would jump up and look for jinx. we never knew what happened to jinx, but i can't help but wonder now if they have found each other again. i bet you are all kinda scowling about my aunt's initial impression of purebreds and of pokey in particular, right? well, not to worry. it wasn't long before her opinions changed. pokey quickly grew on her. about 2 and a half years after pokey came into our family, gumby came into the picture. at first, pokey was not thrilled at all. for quite some time, pokey was the alpha. they did have fun running around the yard together, though. pokey was very fast, and easily caught gumby. eventually, though, she suffered a knee injury while running, and did not run and play as often after that. she loved to chase squirrels. she could be roaching in her sleep on the couch one second, then running out the back door the next, because she could somehow hear the squirrel running along the fence. she used to be able to open the back door all by herself. the latch had been broken off, so all she had to do was run up to the door, slam her front paws on it, and run out. everytime she did this, we'd say, "bye pokey." one day, i was sitting on the couch up against one wall. she was on the other side of the room when i called for her. she started running, from the other side of the room (keep in mind, she only had about 4 feet or so to run) and jumped OVER the coffee table, then landed on the couch next to me. pokey was very smart. we used to kinda "sing" to each other, and could say "momma" or "i love you" for a cookie. but i remember one time, the first time we left her alone, we came back to find that she had chewed up the mini-blinds. ah, she was such a good girl, though. and yesterday, it was so odd. it was raining, just as it had done on the day she came into our lives. i just had a feeling that yesterday was going to be the day. i miss her so much already. 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Guest greysrun Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 So sorry about your loss. Sounds like you gave her a wonderful life - and she gave you lots of happy memories. Hugs to you and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capitalhounds Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I am so very sorry for your loss. Quote Pepper the lurcher, Smokey the longdog and Collect (Call Collect) the grey Della Dee and AMF Achilles waiting at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullysmum Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Quote <p>"One day I hope to be the person my dog thinks I am"Sadi's Pet Pages Sadi's Greyhound Data PageMulder1/9/95-21/3/04 Scully1/9/95-16/2/05Sadi 7/4/99 - 23/6/13 CroftviewRGT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazehund Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I am so sorry for your loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 What a sweet tribute. I'm so sorry for your loss. Run free, Pokey. Quote ...............Chase (FTH Smooth Talker), Morgan (Cata), Reggie (Gable Caney), Rufus (Reward RJ). Fosters check in, but they don't check out. Forever loved -- Cosmo (System Br Mynoel), March 11, 2002 - October 8, 2009.Miss Cosmo was a lady. And a lady always knows when to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greymom Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I am so very sorry for your loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DeVon Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I am so sorry, Kellie. Thank you so much for sharing all your memories of Pokey with us. May God hold your aching heart in his hands :grouphug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShanakilMagic Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 (edited) I'm so sorry Kellie, Run free Pokey Edited January 23, 2006 by ShanakilMagic Quote Clare and Dylan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Winterwish Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I'm so sorry. Pokey sounds like an adorable soul,bless her. Run and play free little Pokey! And I have a feeling too,you're already playing with your good pal Jinx again ~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lotsahounds Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 My sincere sympathy on the loss of Pokey. You gave her a wonderful life and she knew she was loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeannejj Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I'm very sorry about your loss. It sounds like you and Pokey had many happy times. It's very hard to say good bye to an old friend. Run free, sweet Pokey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinw Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 i'm so sorry Quote Xavi the galgo and Peter the cat. Missing Iker the galgo ?-Feb.9/19, Treasure (USS Treasure) April 12/01-May 6/13, Phoenix (Hallo Top Son) Dec.14/99-June 4/11 and Loca (Reko Swahili) Oct.9/95 - June 1/09, Allen the boss cat, died late November, 2021, age 19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guinness_the_greyt Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I'm so sorry!! Godspeed Pokey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TBSFlame Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 So sorry for your loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tricolorhounds Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Kellie, Thank you for sharing the story of Pokeys life. It was so beautiful. Time goes by so fast, I bet you feel like it was just yesterday that she came into your life. Run Free Pokey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest argolola Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I'm so sorry for your loss. You gave her a wonderful life and she was a happy little girl. Godspeed Pokey. You will always be loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hannahmom Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I'm so sorry Pokey knew she was loved, and that's the greatest gift of all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aggie94 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I'm so sorry for you loss. You gave her a wonderful life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rayne Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 So very sorry for your loss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WileyandBadger Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I'm so sorry for your loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest trevdog Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing Pokey's story with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darlene Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 So sorry for your loss. Run free sweet Pokey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greysonly Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Run Free sweet Pokey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Sending my sympathy Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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