Friday, March 3, 2023

Our Sweet Sophie Girl Made Her Journey Over The Rainbow Bridge

 


On Wednesday, I published a blog column addressing my 6-month hiatus from this blog. During these months, a lot has happened. Changed. Transpired. Shifted. I will share that will all of you. However. This one is at the top of our list. Because. We lost our sweet girl, Sophie, to canine dementia. She made her journey over the rainbow bridge on February 16th. 

To back up a bit...

Sophie was almost 15.

In October, I noticed several changes in her behavior...

She stopped sleeping on the many dog beds that she used to love napping on.

The only place she wanted to sleep was on the sofa.

She walked over things instead of around them including toy boxes, dog beds, water bowls, etc. 

Loss of hearing and vision.

Pacing around in circles. 

Peeing and pooping on the floor and walking through it over and over. 

Despising the outdoors and car trips. 

Abnormal sleep patterns. 

The list goes on. 

In December, on my birthday, we took her to the doctor. 

They confirmed what we suspected. 

Canine Senility/Dementia.

Right around this time, I was making our 2022 Christmas ornaments for our kids. My heart was crushed because I knew this would probably (more likely) be Sophie's last Christmas with us. 

It tore me to pieces to work on the Christmas ornaments. I'm not going to lie. I cried. Lots of tears. It wasn't until the week before Christmas that I finished them and hung them on our Christmas tree. 

Less than a month later, this was the scene. Two different meds. Throughout the day. Lots of trips to the doctors to pick up meds. Adjusting dosages.

During this time, more so in the beginning, it was a heartbreaking diagnosis. We knew that we were losing her. Little. By. Little. 

At first, we made a plan. If Sophie started losing interest in food and water, we would have to make that difficult decision. That plan was based on the fact that Sophie was extremely food motivated. She loved her food and snacks and treats. 

However.

That didn't go as planned.

For many months, I slept on the sofa with Sophie because of her sporadic sleep patterns and erratic behavior throughout the night. 

Throughout this time, during the worst of the worst, Lisa was home. 

Another story for another time...

Toward the later part of January, Sophie started hyper-pacing into walls and doors. Complete confusion. Sophie barely recognized us. She started attacking her siblings as if seeing them for the first time. Almost pacing in circles while whining constantly. 

It. Broke. Our. Hearts.

We still clung to our promise that we would make that difficult decision if she stopped eating and drinking. 

But. 

By the beginning of February, her condition spiraled downward quickly. We knew that it was getting to be that time when we needed to have that difficult conversation. 

And, we did. 

Our sweet Sophie was suffering. Her quality of life, despite our best efforts, was next to nothing. 

We made the call to her doctor and set a date for February 16th. Between that call and the date, we cried and cried and cried. We held her and gave her lots of snuggles and belly rubs. 

February 16th really, really sucked. 

Making her last dinner. 

Giving Sophie her last snack.

The last ride. 

What I can say, at this point while writing this, crying, is that Sophie's doctor and the staff at the hospital were so great. 

They have a special room dedicated to the pet parents who have to let their babies cross over the rainbow bridge. 

Lots of hugs. 

Kind words. 

No judgment on the tears and the decision. 

In fact, our doctor said it was time. Sophie was ready. 

I posted this photo on my personal Facebook wall on February 16th. The day our baby girl made the journey over the Rainbow Bridge. 

Accompanying the photo was this...

Our sweet Sophie made her journey over the rainbow bridge earlier today. Our hearts are broken, but Sophie let us know in her own way that it was time. She was 15 years old and had been part of our family for almost 9 beautiful years.

Thank you, Judy, for rescuing this amazing soul many, many moons ago. And, trusting us to foster and adopt her. Thank you to all of our friends and family who loved her. She was a tiny pup with a gigantic personality. You are loved more than you will ever know, sweet baby girl.

And, that is all. Because my face is a sloppy mess with tears and snot. 



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