12/3/12... RIP my precious Skippy...

I would like to take a moment and remember my precious "doxie" Skippy. During this process I suffered a great loss. My "doxie" who was 14 years old, went to heaven on 12/3/12. This was a very sad day for me. I have had Skippy, aka my "Skipper Doo Dandy" for 10 years. Here's the story of how she came into my life and became my furbaby!

In July of 2001, I found a Dachshund breeder in Southeast Kentucky and bought a 7 week old precious little doxie and named her Abbie. Abbie was a joy to have and still is to this day. About a year later, I received a call from the breeder telling me how Abbie's mom, Skippy, had been attacked by two other dachshunds and was hurt badly. She had to have several reconstructive surgeries to repair her injuries. The breeder asked me If I would take Skippy once she recovered. I didn't hesitate once! As soon as Skippy recovered, we made the trip to pick her up. Skippy was a very scared puppy and very timid. As soon as I started speaking to her, she perked her little ears up and came right to me. I knew then, she was meant to be my furbaby. We brought her home and over the years made some wonderful memories! She was no longer an outside dog used for breeding. She was the baby she needed to be and I was blessed to be her mommy.

In March of 2010, we received some devastating news that the mass we found on her belly, was breast cancer. I was heartbroken. My choices were to put her through a very extensive two part surgery or let her live her life out. She was 12 years old and I was honestly afraid she would not recover from her surgery, so we made the decision to let her enjoy the rest of her life, however long that may be. She lived two years and nine months from her diagnosis and you would have never known she was ever sick. She was bouncing around and rolling in the grass the last day of her life. We had no clue that would be our last day with her. That evening she began breathing a little heavier than normal. I called the vet and he said just to keep her calm and bring her in the next morning. She slept with her daddy that night and I slept on the couch right beside them. The next morning I began getting ready for work and my husband was planning to have her at the vet right when they opened. About 20 minutes before I was to leave, I heard my husband say "Where ya going Skip?" I was so excited because I knew she was moving. I walked into the living room and saw her perky little ears looking at me! Within 10 minutes, she laid down on the couch in my arms and quit breathing. It was like she came looking for me so I could be there with her. As heartbroken as we were, we were thankful she passed with her mommy and daddy by her side. We spent the next hour just peacefully remembering all the good memories and of course shedding several tears.

I knew this day was coming, but you can never be prepared. She passed away on 12-3-12 and would have turned 15 years old on 12-5-12. We were planning to make that day special for her birthday. We had a Twinkie saved for her, because she LOVED human food! Sunday night when she wasn't feeling well, we gave her the Twinkie early and she enjoyed every bite. I was so thankful that she was able to enjoy her "birthday cake" before she passed. I miss her every single second of every day. She was a very special doxie and I am so thankful that I was able to give her the best 10 years of her life! RIP Skippy!