In Memory of Swee’Pea

I had to say good-bye to my Baby Girl this past week.  I’ve done this before.  I’ve actually had to send two other dogs, Chewy and Tara, to the Rainbow Bridge over the past year.  Swee’Pea was by far the most difficult.

Swee’Pea, a beautiful American Eskimo, became part of our family right around Thanksgiving in 2000.  She was 1 ½ years old. My son’s roommate’s mother was her previous owner and sent her with him when he moved in with my son. Being two young men who both worked and liked to play, they knew they couldn’t take care of her so my son asked me if I would take her.  

I walked over to his house and the second I met Swee’Pea I fell in love with her and she with me.  From that day on she was my little girl.

Just a few days after she came to live with my husband and me, she was lying on the floor next to me and I saw her tummy moving.  She was pregnant!  It wasn’t two weeks later that she gave birth to five puppies who looked to be crossed with pit bull.  Swee’Pea wasn’t the best momma dog I’ve ever know, probably because she loved attention and being spoiled and her babies were infringing on that.  Once they were old enough, I found homes for them and had Swee’Pea spayed.  

Swee’Pea was a very smart dog and wanted nothing more than to please me.  She would do anything for a cookie!  I taught her to sit, sit up pretty and lay down when it was time for her treat.  It didn’t take long for her to realize the faster she did that the quicker she’d get her cookie and she would do all three tricks in a matter of seconds.  

She was great with all the other dogs we brought into our home and even loved our cat.  She didn’t like small children, though, and would try to find a place to hide whenever some were around.  I really don’t know why….

She was my white shadow.  No matter where I was in the house, Swee’Pea was right there with me.  I would close the bathroom door when I took a shower in the morning and would see her two little front feet under it.  She always wanted to be close.

In early 2011 we learned that she had hypothyroidism, an elevated liver enzyme count and was borderline diabetic.  I switched her immediately to diet food and treats and her veterinarian prescribed meds for her thyroid and liver.  Three months later we did another blood test and there was a great improvement.  What a relief!  Another blood test three months after that and her numbers were almost normal.  She also began to lose weight dropping 17 lbs from February 2011 to February 2012.

Though all of those problems were solved, we discovered just a short month ago that she had a large tumor in her abdomen that was most likely cancer.  The tumor was attached to her spleen.  Her vet said that he could remove it but (isn’t there always a “but”?) with her age, she was 12 ½, and other health problems there was a fair chance that she wouldn’t survive the operation.  The thought of my loyal baby girl dying alone on the operating table was not something I wanted for her.  I made a commitment to her that she would not be alone when her time came and I intended to keep that promise.  The vet agreed when I told him I wanted to keep her as comfortable as possible and spoil her even more than she already was until it was her time.

I really thought I had at least several more months with her.  When we first got the diagnosis, you would never have known anything was wrong with her. She still had the clearest, brightest big brown eyes and was the same happy, silly dog I had known and loved for 11 years.  

On Tuesday, March 27^th I noticed that Swee’Pea was a bit “off”.  She didn’t exactly seem to feel bad, just uncomfortable.  That had happened a time or two and she always bounced right back.  On Wednesday, March 28^th, she was very slow getting up to go outside in the morning and when she was eating her breakfast, she laid down and I had to take her food and put it on the floor in front of her so she could finish.  I thought her arthritis was acting up and it was more comfortable for her to lie down.

That day my husband and I had dropped two of our other dogs off at the vet for shots and baths.  We picked them up around 2:00.  When we got home, Swee’Pea was lying on the floor in front of my bedroom door.  I heard some whining and went to see what was wrong.  I tried to coax her to get up but instead she cried.  Then her cries turned into loud cries of pain.  I put my hands under her to lift her and found she had urinated on herself.  I had my husband carry her into the living room and put her on the carpet thinking maybe the traction would help her stand but she couldn’t get up.  Her cries became more regular and the only thing that settled her down was me lying on the floor next to her. 

I couldn’t bear to see her like this.  I tried to think of ways to make her better but I knew by looking into those big brown eyes that she was ready to leave us.  The sparkle was gone and all that was there was a pleading for help.  

That afternoon I held her as her vet administered her release from pain.  I told her how much I loved her and what a good girl she had always been.  I told her not to be afraid because her friends, Chewy and Tara, were waiting for her at the Rainbow Bridge and they would take care of her until I was able to be with her once more.