Twisty's Tribute Video - She passed this morning..

[Buster Brown]

Sending hugs to your dear daughter, losing a loved one is devastating enough for an adult but for a child it is so much more confusing.

[sandy simpson]

I taught first grade for many years. I know how hard it is for a child to endure the loss of a pet. If you have a bookstore go get the book called, Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant. It is so good. I have it and I have written the names of the dogs I have lost in the little clouds. It is very comforting to read to a child who really doesn't understand. Hold her and keep her close because this is a really tough time. She truly lost a friend and she must know that Twisty is in dog heaven and is fine. 7 is a very special age, I love kids at 7 they believe every thing you tell them. Sweet and so innocent and you do not want to ruin their little spirits of joy and happiness. They must know that life is not always going to be happy but you will be with her. You are blessed to have her and I pray that in time she will be at peace with he little friend Twisty in a heavenly place.

[yorkietalkjilly]

I'm so sorry for your loss of little Twisty. She had a good, long life full of love and doggie fun. I sure hope you and your daughter heal from your grieving in time and some day can have another dog to love like that - just as Twisty would want.

[4twisty]

Thanks everyone! It is hard to explain it all to a 7 year old. My 2 teenage boys went with me to take Twisty to the trauma center and my husband stayed home with my daughter. When I knew what I had to do I had texted my husband so he could prepare her (and before I left we had told her that Twisty may not come back). When I came home with just her collar she asked me, "Why do you only have her collar - where is Twisty?". She cried all night - it was almost 3 am when I got her to sleep. On Saturday she kept asking me why I couldn't go get Twisty and give her one more chance. It was all just questions that I was ill prepared to answer. On Sunday they called for us to pick up her ashes. My daughter got a little excited which puzzled me. Then she told me that she couldn't wait to stick her hand in the vase and pet Twisty on the head again. I had to explain to her that she could not do that and she got so upset - crying and screaming, "Why can't I pet her anymore?". I explained to her that Twisty was now whole again - she can see, hear, stand, walk and run again. All the things that she could not do with us. I also explained to her that even though we can't see Twisty anymore - she is always with us. On Sunday she started playing with "imaginary" Twisty. She threw and ball and played fetch. She said that Saturday night Twisty had slept with her. She even told me, "Look mama, Twisty can jump on the couch now". I didn't discourage this and played with imaginary Twisty with her. Sunday night she told me, "I don't care if I can't see Twisty, I still love her". Her usual after school routine is to come home and hold Twisty so today was the first day without her. She did remarkably well. She did see the school counselor today. When I asked her how that went she didn't really tell me too much so I will probably call him tomorrow and see how he feels it went. If anyone has any suggestions to help me help her deal with it all please feel free to let me know.

Also, we created a photo card at Walgreens.com with a collage of pictures of Twisty and I let her write in the text block and this is what she wrote:

Twisty is the best dog in the world
but she went to heaven she is happy
Twisty the NUMBER 1 dog and the best person in my life

If will try to post a picture of it soon so you guys can see what she created to remember Twisty.

[JuliannaB]

Thanks for sharing your endearing story of your daughter and how she is dealing with Twisty's absence. Interesting how she played with 'Twisty' when she got home. I thought it very good of you to play along too, literally Out of this sorrow you and your family are experiencing will come a blessing; maybe not today, or even tomorrow, but one day when you won't even expect it.
Big hugs to you and your family! An especially bigger one for your daughter. How wonderful that these little dogs light up our lives, and how we grieve after they have left us is a testament of that. Hoping that your days get better as time passes.

[4twisty]

Thank you JuliannaB! My daughter has also gathered up all of Twisty's belongings - her jacket, collar, left over dog food, blanket, pillow, bed, medicines, etc. She keeps it all by her bed a refuses to part with any of it. The day she passed we were feeding her baby food because she had stopped eating and she even has the 1/2 eaten container of baby food in her room. I am working on making her understand that it will eventually go bad and we need to maybe discard of the food and wash out the container. I want to do something special with the container for her - if anyone has any suggestions please let me know!! I feel like if we make the container something special she may be ok with getting rid of the left over baby food inside.

Also, my friend has offered me a 3 pound male yorkie and I am so torn on the thought of that. It is not that I don't want him, I just don't know if I am ready for that right now. A part of me wants to run get him right now and another part of me is not ready to get attached again. What are some of your thoughts on that subject? I would love you hear from you - thanks!

[4twisty]

Oh my! As I said before Twisty was 17 years old so you can imagine the pictures I have of her!! When I created the tribute video I was still sort of out of it and not feeling up to digging through years of pictures. My daughter and I created that video rather quickly with photos I had readily available on my computer. Back when I got Twisty we had the film cameras that you sent off and got prints back (you guys know how that has changed). Anyway, I have photo albums full of nothing but Twisty from the day we got her. I am going to sort through them all tonight and get them scanned in and I hope to have a new video to post in a few days. My daughter LOVED going through the photos and seeing Twisty young, playing with toys, running, swimming in her pool, etc - all the things she no longer wanted to do/could not do. My daughter and I smiled and laughed and she said, "Mama these pictures are not making me sad anymore - you made a good life for Twisty". I can say right now I still hurt and I still miss Twisty more than anything in the world, but at the same time it has been the best night I have had since Twisty passed. I think it helped my daughter as well and that really makes me happy.

I had a rough day today because I have had all these thoughts today that I made the wrong choice. I still want to post the full story of what happened on here and I want to hear some feedback from you guys on that subject. But for right now I am going to enjoy this moment and go sort through my pictures and remember the good times. I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to read my posts and to respond. Your replies have really meant more to me than I could ever tell you!

[april4ever]

Sending you so many prayers and lots of light... I love this website so much....

This is healing place and you can type away. Because we feel we lost a small piece of our heart.

Sending you love and hugs!

Originally Posted by 4twisty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bFf...ature=youtu.be

I lost my sweet Twisty this morning shortly after midnight. She was 17 years old and I was faced with the hardest decision of my life. She passed away peacefully in my arms...

[4twisty]

This is one of my favorite pictures of Twisty that I found last night. This website is truly helping me in the healing process. I know I am biased but I want everyone to see and know what a pure joy Twisty was - she is forever in my heart!!!

[hkschumaker]

So very sorry for your loss. 17 years is a long time and you were so blessed to have her for as long as you did. My daughter was 7 when we lost our beloved Trooper and to this day - at 15 - she still misses him. Have you given any thought to getting a small remembrance of Twisty for your daughter?

[JuliannaB]

Originally Posted by 4twisty

Thank you JuliannaB! My daughter has also gathered up all of Twisty's belongings - her jacket, collar, left over dog food, blanket, pillow, bed, medicines, etc. She keeps it all by her bed a refuses to part with any of it. The day she passed we were feeding her baby food because she had stopped eating and she even has the 1/2 eaten container of baby food in her room. I am working on making her understand that it will eventually go bad and we need to maybe discard of the food and wash out the container. I want to do something special with the container for her - if anyone has any suggestions please let me know!! I feel like if we make the container something special she may be ok with getting rid of the left over baby food inside.

Also, my friend has offered me a 3 pound male yorkie and I am so torn on the thought of that. It is not that I don't want him, I just don't know if I am ready for that right now. A part of me wants to run get him right now and another part of me is not ready to get attached again. What are some of your thoughts on that subject? I would love you hear from you - thanks!

OMG! How thoughtful, and smart, your daughter is!!! What an angel. Children never cease to amaze me how endearing they are. Sorry, I can't be of help in any suggestions on how to do something special with the food container.
Just a thought - before I got my real Yorkie, my children went to the 'build a bear' shop and they built a Yorkie dog. It's funny now that I have a real Yorkie, as the toy one is bigger than Bailey They are both in my avatar. He uses it as his 'play' buddy. I wonder if you have a store like that in your area, and whether your daughter could name it Twisty and still have her by her side?
How sweet of your friend to offer up a 3 yo Yorkie to you! A new Yorkie will never be Twisty, but I wonder if the male Yorkie would take some of your family's pain and turn it into heartwarming energy in a new dog... and perhaps some laughs at the antics of the new dog? All the best to you and your family!

[jilz13]

Hi There - Where did Twisty come from? I am looking for my yorkie's parents. Their names were Twisty and Beau. They were at kc yorkies in Athens, TX

[anniernc]

My heart is just breaking for you and your family. I lost my precious Heidi 6 1/2 years ago. She was j just 11 days shy of 18 yrs. I still miss her so much and think about her everyday. She still sleeps beside my bed in her little urn. The sadness never goes away but it does get easier. Just remember Twisty when he was young and healthy and able to do all the things that little fights do. He knows how much you loved him. Rest in Peace sweet Twisty.

[Susan78]

Twisty had a long wonderful life with a wonderful family. She loved her family very much and best of all you were with her when she passed on over the Rainbow Bridge. You did the right thing and I know it is hard but Twisty knew you were a great mom. I lost my Keally in 2010 and held her til she took her last breath. I had her for 12 1/2 years but she had genetic IBD from a breeder that still breeds today . It was sad and my husband and I were so devastated to lose her. Anyways you and your daughter will never forget Twisty she will always be in your hearts. When Twisty passed on she also took a part of her family she loved with her. Maybe you could do a nice memorial for her like a having a picture enlarged and framed on the wall. Remember she is looking down at you and she will always want you to be happy. Treasure those beautiful memories . Susan

[anniernc]

Originally Posted by anniernc

My heart is just breaking for you and your family. I lost my precious Heidi 6 1/2 years ago. She was j just 11 days shy of 18 yrs. I still miss her so much and think about her everyday. She still sleeps beside my bed in her little urn. The sadness never goes away but it does get easier. Just remember Twisty when he was young and healthy and able to do all the things that little fights do. He knows how much you loved him. Rest in Peace sweet Twisty.

I meant all the things that little doggies do.