AUTUMN’S STORY My precious one….your Daddy and I are still in shock over losing you so suddenly. We didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye and tell you how much we love you even though I know that you already knew how much you were loved and how much you are missed. For a while we knew that something just wasn’t right with you. We took you to the vet for all kinds of tests that didn’t reveal that something was wrong or why your appetite wasn’t what it used to be. But then suddenly everything changed and you were back to being your normal happy self once again and even gained back the pound you lost while you weren’t eating. As time went on and you were feeling good, we knew you really needed a dental cleaning. So the vet ran more tests and determined that you were healthy enough to handle the procedure. You did well and everything seemed to be good….until the next morning when you seemed very weak. We took you back to the vet who decided to keep you in the hospital to be monitored and also to receive fluids since you were so dehydrated. He called us that afternoon and said your glucose level dropped dangerously low and your liver numbers were elevated. Shortly afterward you slipped into a coma after having a mild seizure. All your doctors tried so hard to bring you back to us. You made it through the night while the night vets continued to monitor you and make changes to the medication as they felt necessary. The following morning your heart stopped briefly but your doctor was able to bring you back. He decided to do another ultrasound and there it was……a liver tumor that you managed to keep hidden from us for so long. If we had only known about it, would your story have had a different ending? A while later your heart stopped a second time, never to beat again. We are heartbroken, sweet girl. But we loved you so much and we know that you loved us too. Thinking back to the first day we met you eight years ago when you peed on my purse. You weren’t trying to get my attention as we first believed. You were marking your territory because you knew you would belong to us for the rest of your life. Autumn, our little Shocka, you will live on in our hearts until we meet again at Rainbow Bridge. (Autumn’s original story continues below) ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I regret that it has taken me so long to add Autumn’s story to “All The Dogs In My Life”. But better late than never, I always say. Autumn actually came to live with us in the Fall of 2012 … Just a little over six years ago. After we lost our April earlier that year, we no longer had a Chinese Crested in our lives. I missed my April, Angel, and their Mom, DeeDee so much. But neither one of us was ready to adopt right away. As time went on, we wanted to bring another Chinese Crested into the family. This time we wanted to rescue one who really needed a safe home. I wasn’t able to locate a rescue in the area right away so I accepted the fact it would take some time to find just the right one. I have a very good friend in England who is involved in world-wide Chinese Crested rescue. I emailed her quite regularly and one day I mentioned we were looking for another baby who needed us. She wrote back and said she had some information on two powderpuff girls in need of a home and they were at a rescue right here in Florida. She didn’t send me any pictures at first but asked me if I was really serious about adopting. I talked it over with John and he agreed that we needed to rescue these girls. So the next day I received the pictures of Autumn and a 6-month old pup named Shelly. They looked so thin and forlorn in the first pictures and we knew we had to bring them home. I contacted the breeder/rescue where they were living and made arrangements to meet them at a dog show the lady was going to attend on the weekend. She would bring them to the show but wouldn’t be allowed to release them until the following week due to show regulations about conducting business at the show site. We met Autumn and Shelly that weekend and without hesitation agreed to the adoption, even after Autumn decided to pee on my purse that was sitting on the ground. Was that her way of getting my attention? The following week we met them halfway between our home and theirs and picked up the girls and took them home to meet the rest of the pack. All went smoothly and the pack finally had another leader. Autumn was a very small fireball in a 6-pound body who decided she would rule our home and our hearts. Over time she decided she was John’s and John’s alone (unless I entered the room with food in my bowl). He nicknamed her “ShockaZula” and she’s known by that name to this day. He calls her his little warrior. |
| The first picture we saw of Autumn sent by my friend in England |
| Pictures that I took at our first meeting |
| Autumn and "Shelly" at our first meeting |
| Autumn after moving into our home |
| Autumn a couple of years after moving in with us |
| Published December 18, 2018 |
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