Mom’s Dog Fancy, Has Passed

Fancy Girl Passed Away at 17.

Yesterday was a sad day. Momma lost her little Fancy girl. She passed Monday night around 9:30 p.m. after a rough day of coughing and uneven breathing. Mom called me Monday afternoon and asked me to make a vet appt for Tuesday to put her down if needed so she would not continue to suffer. The earliest appointment was Wednesday. But Fancy passed on her own, which is a blessing and what Mom had wanted. She suffered little, but just had a bad day or so.

Mom called George Tuesday morning after we’d left for work to tell him Fancy passed and asked if he would bury her. She didn’t call me to tell me*. I began closing payroll and decided to check email while my check stubs were printing. George had sent an email saying “I’m sure you have already heard, but Fancy passed”. No I hadn’t heard*.

So George told Mom to wrap her up and put her in the garage freezer. Because it’s July and very hot. But by afternoon storms came and lasted for several hours with heavy rain behind it, so he chose not to bury her in the rain and lightning. He will try again today. Mom wanted her buried in our back yard with Tugie, Roger, Maisy, Coco, Smoky and Gizmo. We’ve had a lot of dogs and cats over the years. Coco was Aunt Martha’s but passed while they were here.

Fancy was a sweet girl and she loved her Momma. We kept her while Mom had heart surgery and she was also here with us again when Mom stayed with us for almost a year. But she was definitely a Momma’s girl.

I’ve taken her for many a trim in the couple of years Mom has been up here.

People Keep Asking So I’m addressing it!

*Everyone keeps asking me (at work and in the family) why Mom didn’t call me to let me know too? I don’t know, I didn’t ask her. One can only speculate with lack of info. You can consider the source and try to guess**. But over all it really doesn’t matter. I have had to distance myself from my hurt feelings over the years for a while now. So it’s something I’ve grown used to. I’m giving the benefit of the doubt and letting it go and giving it the old “SMH” and going on. It really just doesn’t matter at this point. My forgiveness windshield wiper is on overdrive and kicked in. IDK. IDC.

**There’s any number of reasons one could consider if you stopped to think about it. Not saying any of these are it, as I have no clue, but if you really want to speculate, here’s a brain storm list of why someone might forget to let a family member know important information: Bad memory? Forgot? Grief took over? Old age? Dementia? Didn’t care? Anger? Blame? Mad at life? Doesn’t care? Gaslighting? Manipulation? Information Withholding as a weapon to get back at someone? Who knows? IDK. IDC. Just pick your favorite guess and go on and then go….yeah, that sounds about right. And go on from there. That is what we ALL do. All the time. Every day.

The Elephant Question in the Room? Will Mom Get Another Dog?

She wants another one, much to my shock. She really just doesn’t want to be alone. She has asked me to be on the lookout for one. However, here’s my thoughts on it.

1. No, absolutely not.
2. She can barely care for herself.
3. She is closer to assisted living than she wants to realize.
4. It’s us that has to get the dog to vets and grooming, and buying food, needs items. It’s more work on us.
5. Mom is getting where things are harder for her to do over the internet, shop.
6. Mom can’t see very well. Sometimes she has lost Fancy in the house and outside the house. And often can’t see if there is water or not.
7. Mom sets her alarm off all the time to take the dog out in the morning. The police came the other day. I get the call that a burglar has arrived often.
8. Mom can barely get around as it is. A dog will just be a trip hazard at this point.

It’s just not a good situation for a dog either. I know it’s painful to lose a pet. But I will not support another pet for her. She is living on her own and she can choose to have one or not, but she’ll have to get it, provide for it, find someone to get it to a groomer, get it to the many vet trips, get it’s supplies and be in line to take care of it if Mom goes in the hospital and after Mom passes. I’m not supporting or helping with another dog. I just don’t agree with the situation and so I will not support it.

That is tough love. But it’s just the way it is. It’s not a good idea at this point in her life. It is not in her best interest, not in the dogs best interest, and not in our best interest. My guess is that she is going to have a hard time adjusting to this next phase of her life.

We looked at mechanical dogs and they are over $2,000!!! We can’t afford that! Neither can she. But if you got a pet it’d be more than that over a few months time.

Ok over and out. Gotta get ready and head out. It’s raining and storming and flooding here, so I’m stalling! But gotta go tough it out.

Keep Mom in your prayers. She is going to be going through all kinds of grief and mad at me because I’m not going to support another dog.