After 13 years of loyal dedicated wriggling and giggling the wriggle finally wore out. 60 lbs of flat coated retriever breathed her last after seizures rendered her imobile.
Dec 20th wriggles woke me up with the sounds of an upset tummy. I spirited her off the the linoleum just in case. She fell to her side and put her head in my lap... then she arched her back and her normally active tail curled up in a way I had never seen. then end I had carefully positioned to eliminate any mess did not end up doing so. She peed the most vile material to ever leave a bladder and I did not care. I petted her until she regained some of her wits but unable to walk I knew it was time.
I called the vet (closed for the holidays) I yellow paged a vet and arranged a time 3 hours out.
What to do with 3 hours before you condem your dog to death. (well sobbing was one time killer) I cried like a little girl and petted her feeble body which struggled to lift her head to get closer to my face.
as she slept I went out to do the manly thing and chose her resting place... Man with the dog still alive that felt wrong. I dug a 4'X2'X3' hole through the normally unyielding clay and it was time to meet her new vet.
I said wriggles come (she stood walked 3 of the 6 steps required and collapsed.)
(thank god she can't walk I am doing the right thing I think)
Back seat I ride with my friend in my lap petting her like never before as if to make up for times I should have but did not.
I again demanded she get up in the seat of the car but 30 minutes was not enough time to regain her strength to stand. I picked up her 60 lbs of limpness and carried her through the door and introduced myself through choked back tears.
I layed her down on the steel table and doc asked me bout her vaccine history and other health questions (duhhhhh!!!)
her failing pulmonry system made hunting for a vein a chore. shot administered she went to sleep and her breathing became shallow, slower and slower.
done. The vet says meet her by the back door and they will have the dog in a cadaver bag
I was surprised but did not argue. I was a little disapointed when it was simply a hefty bag. She rode home in the bag on my back seat (the trunk being too undignified for my first almost child.
My human kids at grandmas, only know we are at the vet to seeing if she can help Wriggles.
At home figuring out how to present her to the kids 12, 9 and 7 (garbage bag seemed wrong). Presentation done we called grandma and invited them home. they said their goodbys and on with the burrial we went.
A week later the vet sends us a one page hand written letter expressing condolences (this amazed me (she cant do this for all the animals that thing took a half hour to personalize like it was)
On the lighter side
Saturday we went to the pound and snatched from the jaws of death a 5 month old ????Rot/Lab/Pit/boxer???? mix.
Pepper came home yesterday riding in my lap.
She is gonna be a project to make her even close to wriggles but we will see Ahhhh memories. The smell of 16 ounces of crap in the kitchen and pee in the bedroom
5 poops in the back yard 7 or 8 pees in the back yard, One in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. Shudders
I wanted a dog.
Stupid balls of fuzzz
Happy new year to me I gots me a new friend.
hardware
prices 
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