Trudi was about 13 or 14 yrs old - we don't know since she was a rescue. She'd been having the usual "old dog" problems but she was still good last night - mooching in the spam, a bit of wrestling with Rusty... but we've known that her time was coming - we might have days, weeks, months... but not likely any more years. Then this morning she couldn't get up. Didn't want to get up. Something happened - perhaps a stroke. She was mostly gone.
She'd had some brief episodes in the past which lasted a few hours, but during those she'd try to get up and move. This time was different, there was no spark left, no desire.
I'm grateful that there was no decision to make. I called my wonderful husband Tim at work and he dropped everything, came home to help me load her onto one of her blankets, carry her upstairs and into the van for that last ride. She didn't try to get up, or even move much. There was no doubt this was the day.
Trudi was the best Airegrrrl we could have asked for. She really came into her own when we had Ben (who just turned 6). When he was a newborn she'd whine and come get me when he'd cry. When he learned to crawl she kept him from falling down the stairs. When he started to walk she let him wrap his pudgy toddler fingers in her curls and support him. She was his constant companion in the backyard - I knew I never needed to worry with her there. If something wasn't quite right she'd bark. She turned from a shy 'dale into a canine nanny. We were blessed.
I suspect that God has a place in His heart for animals and I imagine that our faithful companions who teach us so much about love and forgiveness will greet us again someday in eternity. We'll certainly miss her, but we know it is just as it should be. I thank God for the gift of Trudi!
Here is a fellow rescuer's wonderful page about how Trudi came into our lives - there are several pages actually:
http://www.alldogssite.com/parademahn1.html
