Lucy and Mika

by Amber
(Alberta, Canada)

This story starts on Valentines day in 1999. We brought home our very first little girl Lucy. She was amazing! Lucy went everywhere with my husband and I, including our honeymoon. She was our first "baby" and quickly took over our hearts.

Lucy enjoyed camping and on one trip spent a great deal of time at the base of a particular tree waiting on a squirrel. She never even got close. She ran beside the quad, was afraid of cats and was the boss in our house right until the end.

Lucy welcomed our three children, even though she lost the use of my tummy during tv time. She never managed to be further than a couple of feet from me at all times.

Lucy aged gracefully and it wasn't until the very end that she showed her age. On April 28, 2011 Lucy crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I was devastated. My husband and I missed her like no one else. I cried for weeks for my Lucy. Knowing she was running with the quads in the clouds or playing with the squirrels brought a little comfort.

I missed the sound of her collar, and would sometimes still hear it in the night. I missed her smell, scratching the spot in between her eye brows, the way she would greet us at the door when we got home from somewhere. Our house just seemed empty... as did my heart. I said I'd never get another, that it was too painful to fall in love and have to say good bye. I couldn't do it...

Months passed and I slowly healed. I could look at her picture and not cry, but smile and remember.

I casually perused the classifieds, not totally convinced in getting another. Until I came across a litter of puppies with the same birthday as my Lucy. Fate right?!

Little Mika came home with us right after Valentines day 2012. Oh she was a lovely little black schnauzer. Everything seemed to be going great, we even did our first agility course!

May 9th Mika threw up a couple of times. No big deal, she'd had a little bit of horse poo. All the dogs seem to enjoy that delicacy, even though they are usually sick afterwards. I fasted her for about 18 hours and then introduced boiled chicken and rice. She loved it and seemed to feel better.

Unfortunately she got worse. She was up all night as I sat with her. Her poor little body wracked with heaves. I rushed her to the vet the next day and she was immediately administered pain meds and an i.v. I still thought it was an attack of pancreatitis. I left her there to be treated. They ran blood tests and the vet promised to call with any news. The vet called that evening and asked if she had gotten into any antifreeze, as her kidney levels were way off. We told her there wasn't any around here.

I got the phone call on May 11th at 9 am saying that Mika had passed away. To say I was in shock was an understatement. I was fully expecting to pick her up and nurse her back to health at home. The blood test results showed no toxins or poisons ingested. She had passed away from Acute Renal Failure. Possibly Renal Dysplasia.

Looking back, she had all the symptoms of kidney failure. It was just like a light switch going off and she passed. My heart had broken again.

My husband believes she was meant to live her short life with us. That we were here to give her the most love and support. Mika is laying with Lucy in their own little area of the gardens. I can see them from my window, so that brings me peace.

I chose to find another little girl and hopefully she will be coming home to me mid August.

I can do this, I can do hard things.

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