I didn’t want to make this post. I’ve been putting it off, but I can’t do that forever. And it’s not like not avoiding it is going to magically change anything. Frances had a terrible night last Wednesday. I’d upped her pain meds, but she was still miserable. I decided, at about 2am, that it was time to have her put to sleep. Even if she was a little more comfortable by morning–and she was, slightly–I couldn’t risk her going through another night like that. It just wasn’t fair to her. So I called the vet the next morning, and they were able to get us in at 10am.
That was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
And now my best girl is gone. It’s been five days, and it still seems unreal.
8 March 2013
23 May 2016
The first photo was taken the day I got Frances. She held her ears back at the shelter, like a baby seal. It wasn’t until I got her home that the Ear of Judgment made an appearance.
The second photo is the next-to-last one I took of her. She was begging for a piece of cake I was eating and judging me for not sharing. But of course I did share.
red paper boat 
Condolences on your loss.
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I am so very sorry about Frances! I know how much she meant to you. All the best.
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So very sorry for your loss.
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Thank you all. She was truly a fabulous dog, and I miss the crap out of her.
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It was a brave thing to make that choice, and I know from personal experience how hard it was. I had a sense something was wrong and have been looking for and dreading a post from you.
I promise there will be moments that thinking of something she did will make you smile and eventually even laugh, but you will be in my thoughts….. she is OK now.
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Thank you. Harriet, the Boxer I had before Frances, left some pretty big shoes to fill. Frances was more than equal to the task. She was truly a once in a lifetime dog. I’m unspeakably sad that she’s gone, but I’m also thankful she was part of my life.
True story: When I was at the shelter, looking at dogs, some pesky woman kept nagging me to adopt a Shiba Inu mix a few cages over from Frances. “He knows how to sit on command!” she said. She just would not let it go. I don’t know what her deal was. Shibas are adorable, but not the right breed for me. I suspect both me and the dog would have been unhappy with that pairing, not to mention the cats. Instead, I took home the little black and white fruit bat who gave me stink eye from the back of her kennel. NO REGRETS!
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