RIP Nelly - A Tribute to the Sweetest Dog on Earth

She came into our lives when we didn't know we needed her. But, I believe with all my heart that she knew we did. She wondered up to our GA house in 2016, on a cold Jan. afternoon barely able to walk & weighed under 2 lbs. You can read about the start of our lives together here: Nelly finding us. 

She was a good companion in every way, a great guard dog & protected me every time she felt I might be in trouble. A very serious pup & only acted silly or showed excitement for a few things:

Eating, going for farm dog rides in the Kawasaki Mule, walking w/me, getting really excited when Dad came home, rides in the car/truck, camping, grandma feeding her cheerios & most of all following me around (my shadow).

Things she didn't like:

Strangers coming in the house, the doorbell, anyone working outside w/power equipment (especially blowers on the patio).

She was fed twice a day. In the mornings she was given wet food, usually after our walk & dry food in the evenings at cocktail hour. She always got very excited at meal times but especially the evening meal. Once I opened the freezer & she heard the ice drop in the glass she would hop around & whine & have this funny grunt until I placed the bowl in front of her.

She also loved treats from Greg. He always, always kept a bite or 2 of his meal to give her after we finished eating. She knew it & would wait patiently for him to finish & then do that hopping & grunting until he gave it to her. He is still doing that & with a sigh, throws the bits of food away.

When I first brought her home my In-laws lived up the street from us & we would stop by their house on the way home from our morning walk. They were usually eating breakfast & my MIL would give her a few cheerios.  She came to love Grandma & was the only person she never barked at, once she realized who it was.

She also loved to strip a stick, eat the bark & the occasional goose poop. We attributed both of these to her survival before she found us.

Riding in the Mule was one of her absolute favorite things to do. She would hear Greg crank it up, get very excited & run to the back door. I would put her in the front seat with us & off we would go to ride the property, the dirt roads, the commercial fields of produce, etc.

She was a great traveller, whether it be in the backseat of Greg's truck or the front seat of my car. She always wore her travel vest & was seat belted. A few of her favorite places.

We would go to quilt retreats (she was the official mascot). Here she is being held by me & a few of my quilting friends:

Our house in GA:

And, of course camping. 

She also loved her Dad & he loved her. A quote from Greg ... "That little girl stole my heart!"

She loved it all. Of course, I think she was happy as long as she was with me.

She had many names & would answer to any of them: Nelly, Nelly Girl, Nell, Nell Mell, Melly, Melly Girl, Sweet Pete, Pete, The Nell, Baby Girl, Sweety Girl & probably a few more. 

I have had many pets over my life but I have never felt the love like I did w/Nell. She would look endearlingly at me & always wanted to be right by my side. If I left the room, she would get up & follow me to where ever I was .... the sewing room, the bathroom, the shower etc. If I lay down on the sofa for a nap she would beg to be picked up & laid behind my knees while I napped. Some pics of the 'look':

I was only away from her twice. The last time was the longest (5 days), just a few weeks before she passed. When I came home she didn't jump up & down, instead she looked up from the couch where Greg had put her & her ears went back & she started wagging her tail. I picked her up & I don't think her tail stopped wagging for an hour.

A few weeks ago I noticed that she had gained a bit of weight. I attributed it to us not going on our walks as often. We went for a walk the next morning & I noticed she was having trouble pooing & didn't seem to enjoy the walk as much as before. That went on for a couple of days. She had been in for a checkup in May & all was well at that time. I made her a vet appointment for Friday, thinking that she might have some kind of blockage. When I picked her up they said she had a mass, most likely on her spleen & it was probably pressing on her other organs which was cauing the constipation. She would need an Ultrasound to confirm whether it had spread or was just a mass that could be removed. I vigorously prayed that it was a benign mass & made the appt. for that for the following Monday. She acted normal all weekend but became very lethargic. Still following around me but moving much slower.

On Monday I took her in for the Ultrasound. The Dr. delivered the bad news that it was a very large fast growing cancer & it had already spread to her liver & would start affecting other organs as well. Operating was not an option. He told us that she only had, at the most, a few weeks left, if that long.

Each day after that we noticed a decline in her health. She was still happy to eat (in very small amounts) & follow me around but without as much gusto as was her custom. 

The Wednesday after her diagnosis was my last full 'normal' day with her. She jumped around for meals, got excited when Dad came home & followed me around all day. This pic was taken that night:

The next day she didn't follow me when I left the room. 

We thought that she might not have much time left & decided to head to GA so she could go for a last Mule ride. We took her over to my MIL to say goodbye, just in case. We got to GA & in the late afternoon we took her for a last ride. She didn't enjoy it as much as in the past. We had to put her bed in the seat because by this time we could tell she was uncomfortable. 

That night she had a very very restless night like she couldn't get comfortable in the bed. She finally fell asleep & slept hard, not hardly even waking up when I laid down beside her several times, the next morning.

The Dr. had told us distress signs to look for (panting being one of them) & that we would know when it was time to let her go. She would get distressed when she excerted too much energy. But recovered quickly after each time. By this time, too much energy was as simple as walking out to go to the bathroom. So I started carrying her outside. We decided to head back to Jax to be closer to the vet, just in case she got worse. 

We didn't want her to suffer. I will admit that I prayed very hard, that if it was her time to go, that she go in her sleep. Of all the animals we've had we never had to have one 'put down'.

We got back to Jax on Friday & when I put her down for a drink of water, she fell & had an 'episode' where she couldn't get back on her feet. I picked her up & held her for a long time & she regained composure. She continued to decline over the weekend. By Sunday night she would just sit in one spot & lean against the chest by her living room bed.

I had read an article about knowing when the time was right to make that horrible decision. It said to list 5 things that she loved the most & 2 things that she hated. When she didn't love the things on the list & when the hated things didn't bother her anymore then decide.

She wouldn't eat Sunday night & wasn't following me around & she didn't enjoy the farm dog ride, didn't want to go for a walk, or anything else for that matter. We decided on Monday, September 19, that it was time ..... IT WAS THE HARDEST DECISION WE HAVE EVER HAD TO MAKE.

She was the best dog I could have ever asked for. The bond we had was so heartfelt & I have never grieved a pet like this. I think it was because she was our first really small dog & the first that lived inside w/us. So unless I went on an errand she was with me (literally by my side) 24/7. I miss her terribly.

I miss the mundane part of our life. The routine & overall responsibility of her are two things that I am having the hardest time dealing with. I still wait to hear the scratch at the back door if I go outside w/o her, or see her peak around the shower door or toilet. Of her being underneath my stool when I'm putting makeup on. Of taking her out to pee one last time at night then coming in & washing her feet before putting her in the bed. Of her being in bed keeping me warm & keeping Greg up.

I just . miss . her. Love you forever my sweetest bestest baby girl. You will always be in my heart. Please wait for us at the gate so we can spend eternity together.