Saying Good Bye to Keisha

Today we had to make the sad decision to put Keisha down. We've both been really sad, cried lots. It's been pretty upsetting as she's been a part of our family for about 7 years.

Since most of you won't have seen this coming at all, here's a little background. Keisha starting urinating frequently (sometimes bleeding) while Barrie and Merel were out, so we knew that something wasn't right. I took her to the vet on Monday and they figured that it was a possible bladder infection, stones or something worse. They put her on antibiotics to see if it was in fact a bladder infection, which would have cleared up in 3-4 days max. Keisha seemed a little better the first day so we were hopeful that everything would be ok. We knew that if she didn't get better this would probably be it, as the next steps were x-rays, surgery, etc. However, as the week went on she seemed to be getting worse.

Last night I awoke to hear her crying in pain, it was horrible to hear. She was panting heavily, wouldn't eat and would no longer go to the bathroom. Her stomach area also felt like the muscles had seized up and/ or she had a possible tumor. She was clearly in a lot of pain. I called the emergency vet this morning and they told us what procedures and fees we would be looking at. Spending about $1000 just isn't an option for us.

We knew this day would come eventually. Just over 2 years ago we went through something similar with Keisha and the meds worked and she was fine. We were blessed with a couple of extra years. Sadly, this time it wasn't the case this time. We didn't want to see her go through that kind of pain any longer, especially knowing that there wasn't any other meds that they could give her and there really wasn't any other alternative.

Therefore we brought her in this morning. It was horrible and sad. We both feel like we made the right decision, but that doesn't make it much easier. We both just keep thinking of her and talking about her. I still can't believe she's gone. She will really be missed in our home. We loved that little dog a lot.

Do we need 3 Bouncy Chairs?

Everybody seems to be fans of the bouncy chair! It hasn't broken yet, so we may be ok since I can't seem to get Sarah out of the chair.

Even Keisha gets cozy in the chair when the other two aren't around.

Not quite room for two

Sarah loves sitting with Keisha in her dog bed. At first I thought she just liked being in the dog bed, but I have since learned that she prefers if Keisha is in there with her. Yesterday morning once I gave Sarah her bottle she went to get 2 of her blankets and bring them into the dog bed with Keisha. You would think Keisha would mind, but she doesn't seem to, otherwise she'd just get up and leave. At first I didn't even see Keisha in the bed since Sarah had covered her up with blankets. Funny girl! Funny dog!

Playing Fetch

A few days ago I found Keisha's long lost rabbit behind the couch, Keisha was thrilled. She loves it when you throw it and she can run after it. It didn't take Sarah long to figure out what was going on. I think she loves this game just as much as Keisha. Whenever I grab the little brown rabbit to get ready to throw it, Sarah puts her arms in the air as if she's ready to throw something too.

In this clip she seems to think she's throwing the rabbit, but she's actually just dropping it. You can hear her say Keisha once in the clip as well. Our little girl sure does love her dog! The hard part is making sure both Sarah and Keisha know which toys are theirs. For some reason they both have lots of stuffed rabbits, Sarah has four rabbits alone.

A girl and her dog:

Face plant

Scratching Keisha's belly?

Almost everyday Keisha will lay on her back and want a good belly scratch. Sarah is learning how to do this, but it usually ends up as a time for Sarah to play with Keisha's nips.
Sorry about the wrong side of the video (compliments of David)

Sharing with Keisha

Sarah loves her Cheerios. As I've written before, so does Keisha. Anyways, I was able to get a little video of the two of them. Keisha stands up and puts her head near Sarah's lap, which is where Sarah will sneak the dog little treats. I think it's pretty cute.

Walking in the Snow

I love snow! It's especially great here since the city is always ready for it and the roads are always plowed first thing in the morning. This morning I put on my boots and went for a walk with Keisha. Since the snow is just like powder, she is easily able to walk and bounce through the snow. My cold is finally gone and I'd say I'm feeling about 95% good. So today was the perfect day to get outside and enjoy the crisp air -love it!

One of my favourite things to do on mornings after a snow fall is sit at our front window (with Sarah and Keisha) and watch the snow blowers. Since our house is at the end of a street we get a great view. I think it looks hilarious to look out and see 2-3 people blowing snow off their driveways at the same time. It's on my list of photos I would like to take this winter.

Our little dog that thinks she's a bunny



Our house in the snowOur backyard

Come spring/ summer, I'm hoping to be able to put a garden in that corner under the clothes line pole. It's not a huge yard but it's just right for us.

Sarah giving Keisha a belly rub

The other day I watched as Keisha went and lay on her back right in front of Sarah. The video clip only catches the last seconds of the pair, but it gives you the idea. The two were hilarious, I was laughing so hard watching the two.

On the clip it looks like Keisha's legs are right on Sarah's face, I assure you that they're not. Don't worry all is well.

Sarah and Keisha like to Play

It's been interesting seeing how Keisha and Sarah are becoming more curious about each other. Several times throughout the day Keisha will pounce towards Sarah, acting like she's ready to play. Sarah will also try to reach out and touch Keish when she comes close enough. The fight for the toys has also begun. Several times this week I have watched as Sarah has rolled and inched her way across the room to get at Keisha's stuffed rabbit. In the same way, I keep having to take Sarah's white Abby bunny away from Keisha. I've got a really cute picture of the two of them each chewing on their own bunny. For some reason I'm not able to upload that photo. The two are on the way to becoming good little buddies.

I was able to get this video clip towards the end of one of their little play sessions. It's not that exciting, just gives you an idea of what I mean.