by Julie Vaughn
February 4th 2001 was one of the saddest days of my life. It was the day I lost my 14 year old border collie Mix Scooter Doodles. Scooter was the sweetest dog I ever knew. 2 weeks before that I'd taken her to the vet because she was refusing to eat and had lost a lot of weight. The vet did x-rays and blood tests and Scooter had to be at the vets on an IV for 2 days. The prognosis was that she had a tumor in her spleen that was malignant and the vet recommended euthanasia but I had to see her and wasn't ready to make that decision. So I brought her home and she seemed to be doing better but we knew she couldn't really get better. I fed her several times a day and she was eating again but she was still very weak. She seemed happy to be home and I was happy that I had a chance to baby her and to make sure she knew how much we all loved her. It was also our chance to say goodbye. She wasn't feeling very good the day before she died but still she had a pretty good day. It was a beautiful springlike day and she wanted to go out front in the sunshine. My 13 year old son and I sat on the lawn with her for quite a while and a couple of neighborhood kids came up and wanted to pet her. Scooter has always loved children and I'm sure that she really enjoyed the attention.
When the next morning rolled around she could barley get up. I managed to coax her outside and she did her business and then took a drink of water. When she tried to turn around to come back inside though she stumbled and then collapsed. She struggled for a minute to get up and then she just laid her head down on the cold ground and let out a big sigh and I knew it was time to let her go. I carried her in to the house with tears streaming down my face. My Husband & Son were still asleep. I put her down in the livingroom floor and I laid down right next to her and cuddled her and held her close while I told her how sorry I was that she was so sick, and how much I loved her. I stayed there with her for quite a while. I woke My husband up and told him that we had to take her in. The hardest part was telling my son who has never known life without Scooter. I had been trying to prepare him but it was still really hard. My son opted to go to a friends house because he didn't want to see her die. I didn't either, but I didn't want her to be with strangers when she went. I wanted her to know how much I loved her. So my husband & I took her in to the vets and had her put down. She was so sweet and calm and it was very peaceful. I could barely stop crying all day that day and so far, there has not been a day that I haven't cried at least once. Sometimes I fear that the tears and sadness will never stop and I miss her terribly. Even though we have 3 great cats, the house seems so empty, but her absence is the strongest every time I come in the front door. Scooter always had tail wags and doggie kisses for us whenever we came home. Even if It had only been 10 minutes since we left. I know that she is happy and free from her pain but I just miss her so much. I just hope they have remote control cars in doggie heaven because that was one of her favorite things to do was to chase the remote control car. I will always love you my sweet Scooter Doodles.