[lisaly]

Originally Posted by YorkieGeorge

Hi,lisaly, thanks for your compliment on my Dolly ! How are you doing ?

Thank you so much for asking. My husband John and I really miss our little baby, Ashley, and we are struggling without her. Between the two of us, we spent 24 hours a day devoted to taking care of her and making sure that she was healthy and felt safe and loved. We were talking about it last night. Although we worried about Ashley all the time and we got little sleep the last year of her life because of her doggy Alzheimer's, it never seemed like a burden to us. We were so grateful to have her alive with us. She felt very safe with the two of us, and she was such a happy little girl. She still was playful, active, and very affectionate. I know how lucky we were to have such a special little girl in our lives for almost 17 years. I knew she wasn't going to live forever. Still, it hurts so much without our baby, and there was nothing we could have done to prepare ourselves for life without her. It broke our hearts watching her get lost in corners and having the anxiety from the Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, but she took Anipryl for it, and it helped her a great deal. I think if we thought Ashley was suffering, it would have been easier for us to cope with losing her. We took her to the doctor several times a year, usually every two months, sometimes more to make sure we were doing everything for her. I have a wonderful veterinarian, one people travel great distances to see. He raved about how well Ashley was doing the Saturday before she died. She was not feeling well a few days later, so I took her to see him again that Thursday. He thought it was a stomach bug, but he thought she'd be fine. He gave her sub-q fluids and a couple of shots. Dr. Jiu Jia Wen, the "Miracle Vet," is such an amazing diagnostician, and I've always trusted him completely. I wish that I had made more of it when I described how Ashley was acting, because I knew in my heart that something was wrong. Ashley died two days later, one month short of her 17th birthday. My guess it could have been kidney failure, since it happened so quickly, but she had bloodwork not that long before that was fine. I wouldn't have wanted my baby to go on living for my sake if it meant she would have had to suffer, but I hope I didn't fail her. There is nothing that my husband and I wouldn't have done for Ashley if she needed it, regardless of what it would have cost. Ashley was my love and heart. She still is, and so are her sisters, my angels Kiwi and Gracie. We talk about getting another baby, and we know we have enough love to give and room in our hearts to love again. Even in my grief, my heart completely stops and I feel comforted when I see any dog, big or small. My husband is the same way. Your pictures have helped me more than I can ever express to you. We want to get two babies, because we think it would be best for them to have each other. Ashley was almost never left alone, even before she had doggy Alzheimer's. I still think that it was nicer for her to have sisters, though. We lost Kiwi and Gracie very close together, and we were in too much pain to get another dog at that time. In time, we would have loved to get another dog, but Ashley got so used to going everywhere with me when I wasn't working, and she had all of our attention. We felt she would have been unhappy if we brought another puppy into our home. We now have to think about doing what will be best for the new baby that we will get. I know we will never replace Ashley or her sisters and a baby won't live in their shadows, but we are still feeling such sadness. The puppy would get so much love; I am sure of that. I know a puppy would bring happiness for us. We are not ourselves yet and our lives have been turned upside down, and is that fair to a puppy? For me, I think I need to do what’s best for my future puppy. It’s the way I live my life, for my babies and for all the people in my life that I love and care about. Thank you again for being so kind and for reaching out to me. I am very touched, and you and all of your babies have helped me a great deal. With kindest regards, Lisa