Goodbye, Dusty

Sad times tonight--our dog, Dusty, left us to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Dusty was a Schnocker--half Schnauzer, half Cocker Spaniel, that we adopted in September of 2012 as a 13th birthday present for our daughter. Depending on whether she was clipped or in her shaggy winter coat, she could look like a whole different dog. Here she is the day we adopted her:

We never knew her true age, but the vet estimated she was around 14-16 years old at the time of her death. The old lady had gone deaf and mostly blind over the last two years, but got around just fine. 

Over the years, Dusty sometimes didn't use her best judgement...

 

But she took the kid's toys and the silly things her humans did in stride. 

 

And she was only a water dog when SHE wanted to be one, thank you; and it was NOT during bath time.

But once bath time was over, was her happy self once more.

 

 Dusty fiercely defended her yard against all invaders.

 

...until she lost interest, even though the deer still wanted to play.

 

But eventually they gave up and left.

But recently Dusty had a vestigal stroke--and we knew her time was coming. She had recovered very well from the stroke, just as our vet thought she would, and was back to her usual self, outside of a slight head tilt.

Then Dusty stopped eating regularly over the last week, so we braced ourselves and made her as comfortable and happy as we could--she loved the canned dog food she ate in small amounts. She wasn't sick, just very, very old. Tonight Dusty took a turn for the worse and we knew it was time. The vet had us bring her over--they have a small, private grassy area behind their building, it has a bench under a tree where you can sit with your friend while they make their exit. The vet brought out a nice blanket for Dusty to rest on, and her departure was quick and quiet.

She was an an excellent dog, very sweet and we loved her. Her companion, our little (also aged) Chihuahua/Dachsund mix, Daphne, is clearly wondering where Dusty is; we'll show her extra attention and give her walks & goodies for the next week or so to help her adjust.

Good girl, Dusty...we'll miss you.