Alright, I'm going to be straight with you: I've been avoiding this.
Since my last post (which was actually this month, so I got that goin' for me, which is nice) you all well know, and perhaps you don't: We said goodbye to Chelsea.
When we lost Fifi, it was a total surprise. When we said goodbye to Chelsea, we had the luxury of planning - but knowing it was coming didn't make it any easier to say goodbye.
I could go into a long winded post about why we made our decision, but the truth is everyone's situations will be different. Maybe knowing that we chose to put Chelsea down will help ease someone's conscious about their own decision, and that'd be fine by me, but why else go into all of the decision making details?
We did search around for some recommendations for a vet that would come to your home. We had one meeting with that vet before our ultimate decision, she was amazing. No pressure or persuading you in either direction, just answering any questions you had and offering sincere advice. One of the things she told us that really resonated with me was "the last thing you want to do is be faced with an emergency." Chelsea was a big dog that couldn't get around so well any longer and she was an emergency waiting to happen. From there, we made our decision.
I can tell you from experience, and from advice given to us by other people: in home is the way to go.
Here's where we get to the stuff that made me avoid this post for so long.
RIP Chelsea, you lived a great life, you were a wonderful dog, and you will never - ever be forgotten.
In the days leading to I tried to remember some of Chelsea's more famous tales. Like what a badass she was in her heyday. Chelsea was a force to be reckoned with. Part greyhound, part shepherd, part biker, part saint. She was a neat mix.
This photo is a few years old. I remember when I posted it to facebook someone commented on how ripped my dog was, and I had to look at it again and go "huh, you know you're right." Chelsea was nothing but muscles and she was so fast! And, her in her little santa hat, that is one of my most cherished memories of this family unit Dylan and I have been part of for the past decade. Every Christmas morning we'd take the pooches out on a walk.
Before Dylan and I met (and right at the beginning of our relationship) he had this pack of 4 dogs. Reese, Chelsea, Sherman and Fifi. Once, when out on a walk with all four of them a neighborhood dog ran up to the pack eager to start some drama. Chelsea was like a ninja, she assessed the situation, and then she lunged forward at that dog - but instead of bloodshed, Chelsea outsmarted the assailant. When she lunged, she went straight for the other dogs back leg, grabbed it, pulled forward and flipped that dog over. The dog got up, stunned, confused and promptly ran away.
Pretty badass right? Well, she was also a bad girl, in fact, she'd been in a fight with Reese and another tussle with a neighbor's dog that landed her a legit rap sheet with the county with mug shots and everything. The charges were dropped in the tussle with our neighbor's dog because Dylan and I were responsible people who paid the bill for the other dogs stitches. Chelsea had gotten out, had some words with a dog on a walk and bit that fella right on the butt. She didn't let go until I reached her and I'll never forget - as soon as my fingertips touched her she released her grip and just looked at me. She did not see a very happy face looking back at her.
That was the thing with Chelsea, she loved people. I'd have trusted her alone with a baby any day of the week - but if you were another dog, you didn't dare question her authoartah (spoken like Eric Cartman)
Part of what made it so hard to prepare for this post was the realization that our little family unit is sort of dwindling away. We've had a lot of pets through the years, pets we loved and were sad to loose but it was the Chelsea, Sherman & Fifi era that lasted the longest.
Peggy and Skins are of course a part of this pack and I've already given them the "listen, cats, you're never allowed to die, understood?" speech, but something tells me it's not going to take.
I've collected some photos and I'm already balling so - I'm just going to share those photos now. The ones of Fifi and Chelsea together are really getting to me. Oiy!
This photo was before the big flood I'm fairly certain ...
On a Thanksgiving morning with our dear friend, and member of the pack, Jon.
Fifi and Chelsea sharing the bed when they were a little younger
Sherman and Chelsea sharing the bed when they were a little older
More holidays with the mutleys
Chelsea, good and old, helping Dylan repaint the bathroom
Then there's the memory of Chelsea's favorite passtime: rolling around in the dirt and sunshine
There were days when Chelsea would just be out sunbathing for what felt like hours.
She had a gorgeous face, looked like she was wearing eyeliner. And those big, brown, alien eyeballs of hers - couple of heart-melting peepers.
Saying goodbye to Chelsea and her legacy is just a flood of tears I tell you.
Here's Dylan and Chelsea the night before:
This has been especially hard for Dylan. He's had his entire adult life with these dogs, as much as it kills me to watch them age and leave us, I hold a special place in my heart for my husband who I know must be hurting even worse.
That morning, everyone in the house seemed to know what was happening. Sherman was a nervous wreck, and Arnie who is normally very shy and reserved came right out even though there was a strange lady in the living room with a bunch of equipment.
Arnie's actually right here next to me as I write this, being the sweet, comforting kitty that he always is. *UGLY CRY* AAHHH THANKS LITTLE BUDDY!
Okay, alright, it's okay. Our friends and family want to say goodbye to Chelsea too, it's good for us to pay our respects, right? Not easy. But ... good. At least I hope ...
When it was over, Dylan and the vet carried our sweet dog, no longer bound to her body, out to the doggy coroner vehicle - and then Peggy and Sherman gave me this beautiful photograph that makes me ball every time I look at it. So, what am I going to do? Look at it some more.
We received a lovely urn for her ashes and her paw print from the vet
Now Chelsea is up on the shelf with Fifi and Reese looking after us still-fleshy ones.
This was hard to relive. Poor Sherman's been having the worst of it, but he's better today - and that saga is for another post. Thanks for reading, thanks for being there with us and for us while we deal with our sweet, old, aging pack. And lastly, thank you for forgiving my month long lapse from posting. See you guys next time!
