My Susie

This is Susie.  I know I don't usually do photos on this site....but today is special.

     Let me tell you a story of an incredible little dog I named Susie.  Some 13 years ago my parents were getting ready to move to Georgia from Pennsylvania.  My Dad came down early to paint the house and I was over there helping him.  We had been working a while and took a lunch a break, I went into the house to get something and my Dad called me back out.  He said I had to see this....well here was a little green dog covered in matts and knots, her back looked like it was broken the hair was so piled up.  She broke my heart.  We had noticed the little dog house in the backyard, but didn't think much of it because the house had been empty for over a year.  We gave her some scraps, she was so hungry, her little nose was so red and swollen and you couldn't hardly see her eyes.  So I get on the phone and tell Don he needs to get here right away.  He got there and looked at that dog....then looked at me tearing up and said yes.  With that we approached her and she was nervous, I was afraid to pick her up because her back looked weird.  So, I told Don to pick her up.  She let him pick her and we placed her on a table and started trimming away the knots and matts.  We had to cut it right down to the skin.  She sat there...and sat there.  It took us about three hours but we got all the hair off and decided to give her a bath and she let us.  Probably the easiest bath I ever gave her.  When we were done there was less than half of the dog we started with.  We picked her up and put her in the truck and she let us.  You could tell she was scared, hoping for one more chance, taking a chance on us and trusting us.  But her little tail never wiggled.  We took her to the vet for a quick check up to make sure we weren't bringing anything bad home to our little Missy (Our other poodle mix dog).  I told the vet her story and she said she had to scan her for a chip.  I thought that is just what I need to know, who left this baby like this.  There was no chip, the vet said other than suffering from malnutrition and starving she was ok to take home until we could get a more thorough check up the next day.  She estimated her age about two years.  She came home with us, we fed her, promised she would never miss a meal again, introduced her to Missy.  Everyone got along.  We were a houseful of rescues.  Later we found she had heart worms, we had them give her the treatments and had her spayed.  Then we put her in the truck with us and we had to take a trip to PA, to help my parents move.  She sat right between us and didn't seem to mind the 12 hour drive.  Her tail still didn't wiggle.

     A very quick and busy trip up and it was time to come back, she never left our sides.  Sat between us for another 12 hours.  When we finally got home, back to Missy, when she came into the house, found her food bowl and a treat....that tail started wiggling like mad and it really hadn't slowed down much until the past few years.  She was a happy puppy!  We named her Susie, cause a friend of ours, whenever he met a lady and didn't know her named, he called them Susie.  We more or less determined that the people who left that house a over a year ago, left her too.  She knew her way around the house and she had been living in that dilapidated little dog house that was infested with fire ants and covered in spider webs.  It was obviously not easy on her.  She weighed 11 pounds when we found her and she took me up on the promise of never missing a meal.  She was a chunky girl who was almost 30 pounds at one time.

 

     Susie filled our lives with so much joy.  She had the most soulful eyes I have ever seen on a dog.   She went everywhere with us.  Always ready to jump in the truck, go to the beach, run the woods and of to course visit with Grandma and Grandpa.  She did the art shows with us.  Perching in my chair, wearing sunglasses or a hat.  Letting people love on her and take her picture.  She never needed a leash, she didn't go out of our unfenced yard...I think she was a Happy Girl.  When we found Dipsy the cat, she was happy to have someone to boss around.  When Missy passed away, Susie mourned her loss.  When Dipsy passed, she was lonely, but she was the Queen.  When I adopted Sam, our cat, she welcomed him.  She had someone to boss around again.  When we adopted Gracie, our little poodle, Susie welcomed her....now Sam had someone to keep him busy and she could rest.  She could let the youngsters entertain themselves, while she got lots of loving.
    
 
 Our furbabies are our children.  They are our family,  The girls, Gracie and Susie were both in the truck with Don, when he had his life altering accident in June of 2013.  They were banged up  pretty bad and Susie suffered a back injury.  The vet treated her, she came home ten days later, slowed down quite a bit, but the tail was wiggling.  They stayed with my parents while Don was in the hospital and were treated like royalty.  The first day I got to take Susie to see Don at Specialty Hospital was beautiful.  I'm not sure who missed who more.
  They both had missed each other so much.  The first thing Don asked about after his life flight to Shands was how are my girls.  I wasn't on of the ones he was talking about.  Don broke his arm in the accident trying to keep the girls from flying off the seat.  He thought Susie didn't make it.  When Don finally made it home 5 long months later, she was so happy...the tail was wiggling like crazy...her daddy was home.  She had slowed down a whole bunch of over the last two years.  But she stayed by his side, almost to a fault, he would trip or bump her with scooter because she was always right there.

  When Don passed eight weeks ago, Susie took it hard.  She has mourned him.  Her last few months have not been easy on her and I would have that long talk with myself and with Susie.  I didn't want her to suffer, she had trouble breathing and walking....but the tail still wiggled.  Last night was a rough on Susie, she didn't rest well, was coughing a lot and breathing hard.  I had told myself that it was time.  I got up and asked the girls if they wanted to go out and go potty.  She jumped up and trotted to the door...the tail wiggling.  She looked good.  But I knew time was coming to an end.  Today, when I came home from work, I asked the girls to go out and Gracie ran out, but Susie was standing in the living room, she wouldn't move and was breathing very shallow and fast.  She was swaying side to side uneasily... her tail didn't wiggle.  I immediately called the vet and they told me to come right away, they would wait for me.  I reached down and scooped my chunky little girl into my arms and held tight.  I felt her start to go limp, I sat down on the couch, her in my arms, rocking her and crying as my sweet Susie took her last breath and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.  She waited for me and I am so thankful.  My little family is quickly diminishing.  So once again I turn to my writing, to my therapy and I hope this will help ease my pain.  I wanted to share with you what a great little dog she was, we took a chance on her and she took a chance on us.  Like I said we were a houseful of rescues.  Goodnight my Susie.