Shadow, the last of Zelda's pups, has passed away. That's hard to accept because she was such a survivor and such a presence.
We called her "Little One" compared to the rest of Zelda's offspring, but she had a giant presence in our house. She was smart, sneaky, stubborn and above all tough.
Diagnosed
with bone cancer and given about a year to live, she lived for eight more years.
As the vet said after a cancer free recheck a few years after the original
diagnosis, "Congratulations, you have an old dog."
The
cancer did cost her a hind leg, but so what? It barely slowed her down. Within
24 hours of losing her leg she was climbing the stairs under her own power and
within a few days she was back at her favorite game, chasing after her sister
Newt.
Beyond
harassing her sister, Shadow loved walks, destroying stuffies, looking for
hidden cookies, and receiving belly rubs.
In
her last year when she needed help walking we'd take her to the park and she'd
happily sit there in the grass watching the world go by.
We
miss her terribly along with the many dogs we have had in the past. It is the
end of Zelda's legacy, and we know she is happy to finally have all of her pups
back with her again.
Love you, Little One.