Sad

             I was delighted to have Jackie Vick guest post here last week.  And my post before that was a happy one, too. But I had prepared it before that week, since I was traveling then.

             And my return from that trip was very difficult. 

            My older dog Mystie had been going downhill for a while. We never really found out for sure what was causing her problems except, most likely, age. She was 13. She’d had a number of issues over time, and she had gotten the unfortunately typical heart issues that Cavalier King Charles Spaniels always get. But she had stopped eating. We force-fed her for a while since she seemed like her old self when she was awake, prancing after us and wanting to be near us. She didn’t appear to be suffering. 

            She seemed to be relatively okay as our trip approached, and we had good care coming to tend to her and our other dog—our younger son, who lives in the area, and also our favorite pet sitter.

             But it was also when Mystie started really to get worse. While we were gone, she was taken to our favorite vet, whom we talked to, too. And the decision was made that it was time for her to go, although she was okay enough to wait till we got home. 

            And now, Mystie is no longer with us.

             It’s affected my writing. I’m distracted and writing more slowly. But one of the things I do is to play even more with our other Cavalier Cari, who’s an attention sponge and loves to cuddle. I’m not sure what she thinks of Mystie being gone, but she certainly asks for even more attention now. 

            We’re thinking about getting Cari another Cavalier sister eventually so she’ll have canine company when we’re not around, and also when we are. I’m surprised that I’ve already found an upcoming new litter that might contain that sister.  We’ll just have to see how things go. 

            Meanwhile, my grieving will continue. I see Mystie lying on the floor near where she used to, out of the corner of my eye—or at least I imagine I do for a few happy seconds. She also accompanies me around the corner on our walks, or at least I let my imagination tell me she’s there. 

            But hugs now to Cari, and back to my writing. My mind will continue to think of Mystie. And we’ll see if we wind up with a new sister for Cari soon.