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Being military, we were
transferred to Maryland. All was well for awhile. The boys seemed to
enjoy their new digs and we enjoyed the Halloween holiday at Anne
Marie Garden, a place here that welcomes dogs with trails through
the park and art placed strategically.
Here are the boys posing
with one of the displays they had.
And last but not least,
here we are ready for our very first trick or treaters!
As time went on, my
husband wanted to rescue a greyhound. So we researched it and found
there was a place locally that adopted them out. We took the boys
there to meet the one we picked out to bring home.
All seemed to go well and
we were allowed to bring Zydeco's Mojo home with us. We call him Jo
for short. Considering I had no problem with Chance accepting Rocky
and with Jo being such a mild and meek character, we really thought
the addition to our family would be easy.
As it turned out Rocky was
fine with Jo, but Chance wouldn't accept him no matter what we tried. We
just dealt with it and kept them separated and they were only
together under supervision. I
discussed the situation
over with many "dog people" and the greyhound
people and even the vet I had at the time.
Everyone
agreed that if I neutered Chance, then chances were
he would settle down and all would be good. So, against my better
judgment I agreed and had Chance fixed.
It was a Friday morning when
I dropped him off. When
I picked him up, I
was told he came through great,
but would be more sore than usual because their laser
was down and they had to do it the "old fashioned way".
When I got
Chance home that evening he was still somewhat groggy from the
anesthesia, but as he was coming around he seemed listless and in
pain, so I did as the vet instructed and gave him baby aspirin, etc. He
didn't seem any better by 10pm that evening.
We
had only been here for about 6 months and were
not
familiar with the area.
We did
not realize the only 24-hour vet hospital was over an hour's drive
away. I was starting to panic, so I laid on the floor with Chance,
talking to him and petting him, and when I happened to feel his belly I
knew right away that my boy was in trouble. His
belly was hard and tender and I knew he had bloat. I had my husband
on the phone calling to see where we could go, but it was to no
avail. Chance died in my arms.
Needless to say, I went
absolutely ballistic and there was no consoling me. What a horrible,
horrible night and as I write this I am still not over the pain of
that fateful day.
The
next day my husband had to take my baby boy to be cremated. Poor
Rocky had no idea where his buddy was. Even with his bad arthritis he
went up and down all the stairs in this house searching every room
for his companion. It was heart-wrenching to watch him look for
Chance. He was lost just as I was. Chance was only 6 years old when
he passed in March of 2005.
But time doesn't stop and
the days went on.
Rocky
eventually acclimated
to his new role of being the only Chow in the household. He and Jo
got along just fine and we managed.
Now Rocky was 11 at the
time of Chance's passing and come late August of 2007, he became very
clingy towards me, didn't want me too far away from him. This was out
of character for him as he was fairly aloof. His check-ups at the
vet's found nothing wrong with him, but I felt his time was getting
near so I started sleeping on the floor to be near him.
My job consists of me
having to work 12 hour shifts at night, and on the morning of
September 19th, which was Buddy's birthday, I came home from work and
he didn't greet me. Since
Rocky had gone deaf, at first I didn't think anything about him not
meeting me at the door.
It usually
took him a little while to realize I was there, but I just had a feeling.
When
I found him I thought at first he was sleeping,
until I went to pet him and realized he was gone. He was laying near
the spot where Chance had died.
My poor Rockefeller had
passed away in his sleep just a few days short of his 13th birthday.
I was devasted that he had to die alone. Another piece of my heart
died that day. I called my husband and he came home and took him away
to be cremated and placed in the cabinet with Buddy, Joker, and Chance.
And how I still miss them,
but now my Chancellor and Rockefeller are together again forever at
the Rainbow Bridge.
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