Tootsie Roll
Please note: This week's entry talks in vauge terms of death and the loss of a pet/family member. Please proceed with this in mind should these be topics you are sensitive about. Thanks :)
We called her our little Russian Lady. We called her the housecat. We called her Kenrith, the Returned King. We called her Tootsie Roll, and still don’t really know where that nickname came from.
Chloe's Collar
The Coolest Dog There Ever Was
By any name or length of time, many friends and family were lucky to meet Chloe, the coolest dog to ever exist. I was especially lucky enough to get to grow up alongside her. For almost 16 years we shared a life together, once even squeezed in a tiny basement as our house was renovated. Chloe saw me grow up, graduate high school, and finish college. Whether she knew it or not, she was there for me through all of those moments.
She started acting lethargic and shaky on the 10th. She's had a few episodes of this before, and we have a medication we'd administer for her specifically in moments like this. In this particular instance, however, her condition only worsened as time went on. She eventually got bad enough that my mother made the call to take her to the emergency vet to ensure nothing urgent was happening. As much as we could have wished for any other news, we were told that she was in acute kidney failure, and that we had a matter of hours, not days at best. I drove over to the emergency vet as soon as I heard the news, and made it over to still see her in time.
the last living photo I have of Chloe
I’m sad to share that she died suddenly yesterday, the 12th of April. She died quickly without any pain, and she was beside us as she went. I only hope that her life was as happy and long as we could have possibly made it.
One apple tall
The Returned King
I'll miss the way she'd hustle at our dinner table for whatever we were having that day. I'll miss her bell-ringing skills and hula-hoop antics. I'll especially miss the way she'd scratch at my door or whine by my bed to sleep alongside me in the morning after leaving my parents' room. She used to tolerate me, but in her later years she became much gentler and kinder towards me.
I’m glad I got to pet her for one more living moment yesterday, and that I could hold her for a little while after she was gone. I would wish she could stick around longer, but I wouldn't ever warrant her suffering just so that I could see her for a bit. Don't worry, Chlo-ster, we'll throw you a posthumous sweet 16 on cinco de mayo (which was her birthday, by the way, is that not epic?).
Whether you only knew her for a day, or for far longer, please feel free to check out this collection of images I've gathered. I'm happy to at least be able to immortalize her here, if nowhere else:
As tacky as it may be, I have a tradition of playing this song for those I've lost. Here's yesterday's recording.
Lastly:
Thank you (through no choice of your own) for being a part of our family, Chloe. I love you more than any blog post, words, kisses, pets, or really anything could say.
I saw a couple of submissions come through to me this week and I promise you we'll be back to our regularly scheduled whimsy next week! For now, please pet your dogs, hug your partners, and gently ease into what at the very least is looking to be a sunny week. Sending love everyone's way, catch 'ya next Monday :)
~Luca