Good Bye Sweet Ellie!

Have you ever lost a dog that has been left in your care? If so, you know the sinking feeling in your gut and the overwhelming guilt that leads to question "what did I do wrong?"

Some of you may know Ellie, we've blogged about her in the past - she is the loyal companion of the 4-legged variety and is part of our neighbor's family, John, Adrienne and O'deilla. John is the acting Director at the Friends School. Ellie is an elderly retriever (I think, 10 or 12) so she has clearly had a good, full life. She has boundless energy and is always full of life, whether she is snatching a snack from the boy's hands, following us to school or lying out in the morning sun warming herself. Michael and John would always feel her black coat and say how warm to the touch it was.

John and Adrienne left for the States on Monday morning about 5:30 a.m. to spend the holidays with their family. The night before, we received instructions from Adrienne; and know (from our past experience, that Ellie might not eat a lot the first couple of days). We were pleased to care for Ellie as she is no problem.

Monday morning about 9 a.m., I wandered through our yard to their house and found Ellie on her 'run', lying under their porch, listless and non-responsive. Usually, she would have been all over me, showering me with wet kisses...there were none to receive on this day. I thought to myself that perhaps she was tired and sad from the recent departure of her family.

Mike and I had a busy Monday and employed Gaudy to watch the kids as we went to the 12:30 Prayer & Share, then walked into Santa Elena for some last minute Christmas shopping and then walked toward San Luis for a dinner engagement with our friends Theo and Jude. Around noon after Gaudy arrived, the boys and her brought Ellie over to our house (along with her food), thinking she would want to be around people, especially if she was feeling sad. Just getting her to walk across their yard into ours was a chore. She was unsure on her feet and oh so slow. When she arrived at our house, she collapsed on the concrete floor and laid down. She had no affect on her face and her body language was slumped over and just so sad. Mike was shocked to see Ellie so unresponsive and quiet.

We set out for Jude and Theo's around 4:30 and left the boys and Gaudy in the pasture while Ellie slept in the house. Shortly after arriving at Jude's, we received a call from Gaudy that Ellie was very 'still' and very slow. She did manage to get herself into the kitchen and lap up some water and a bit of food. While at Jude's, we called Veronica who cares for a lot of stray dogs and has a good relationship with the Vet to let her know what was going on and get any advice about Ellie. Veronica commented that the Vet could not do anything for the dog and that we should keep her comfortable and keep her hydrated. Perhaps Ellie had been bit by a spider or snake while outside on the porch in the early morning hours? All things go through your mind. Could it be a stroke? The glossy eyes and absolutely no 'affect' reminded me of my own experience with my yellow lab at the age of 9 when he had experienced a stroke - The Jake that I knew was clearly "gone", similar situation with Ellie.

About 7 p.m., we received another call from Gaudy who told us that she was sure Ellie had passed away; another call to Veronica and into Theo's truck we jumped for the ride home. Ellie was lying in the kitchen next to her food/water bowl and after just a quick assessment, Gaudy was right; Ellie had gone to Dog Heaven. Both boys were in bed when we arrived home. Mike and I could not believe that we had a dead dog in our kitchen - what had we not done??? Another call to Veronica - after some discussion, we decided to leave Ellie in the kitchen instead of risking an animal attack if we were to leave her outside until we were able to bury her to the next day. We draped a sheet over her and prepared for breaking the news to our neighbors. Our hearts were heavy - but knew we had to pass along the sad news. We grabbed the contact info they had left for us, and placed the call. Much to our amazement, we got John on his cell phone (they were in Houston awaiting their final flight to the D.C. area), expecting to arrive at 1 o'clock in the morning...a long travel day indeed! We found out from John that Ellie was not herself the night before and was up pacing in the night; Adrienne had to let her outside a couple of times during the night. She also threw up in the early morning before they left in the taxi and headed down the mountain to the airport - so clearly she had started a decline that prior evening. For some strange reason, this gave us some comfort knowing that Ellie was 'struggling' prior to us taking responsibility for her well-being. John asked us to inquire about the process of cremation to see if that was an option for the family; if not; we would bury her in their yard in a spot; which they would designate. We decided to touch base the next day (Tuesday) after having a chance to talk with the Vet about cremation.

We found out that the only Crematorium was in San Jose (4 hours away) and that it was for people, so we may need a special permit for a dog. It could take some time - and time is not a luxury we had. We spoke to John Tuesday morning and relayed the information - the family decided to bury Ellie in the front yard, close to the road. With that said, we knew the priority task for the day.

The boys had lots of questions about Ellie but were very gentle in their communication and commented that Ellie was now with Jake. We had planned to have Stuart over to tie-dye a shirt we had bought him for a Christmas present, so while I tie-dyed the shirts on the stove, Mike, Michael, John and Stuart grabbed their shovels and started their dig! Veronica supplied lunch for us all, home-made soup and tortillas - she brought all the 'fixins' over to our house (including her pot and tortilla press and went to work in our kitchen). A welcomed surprise for some hungry workers! It took all afternoon, as they had to dig down through a lot of clay. Mike said the boys really worked hard and yelled down the hill to any passer-by on the street to let them know they were digging a grave for Ellie. Hmm - in retrospect, what must have people thought as they heard this proclamation? Oh My - should we expect a visit from the Policia? :) Four hours later, Ellie was laid to rest, Mike replaced the grass and we have been watering it religiously these past few days and will place three rocks in the middle of the grave (one for Adrienne, one for John and one for O'deilla).

Our hearts go out to them, as losing a pet is oh so difficult; especially one so gentle as Ellie. We were happy to help the family and know that we took great care in preparing her final resting place. We will miss you our sweet friend, but know that you are frolicking with others up in Dog Heaven. Rest Well!

Signed: S