When my daughter Ruth was a student at Sheridan College one of her friends there said her dog was having puppies. Ruth texted me and said, "Rebecca's dog had puppies." I said, "Don't go see the puppies!" One minute later, there were photos of Ruth with Cleo on her lap. I knew in that moment; the pup was coming home. It was love at first sight for both Ruth and for me. (Photos of moment below)
Cleo had only been in one place before with a lot of her siblings around her. She was very nervous being on her own. We brought her into our backyard first and she hid under a loveseat. We had to pick her up and carry her in. I think she was a little depressed, but it didn't last long for her t see us as her new family.
She began to trust us more and more and she learned very quickly. She was part Border Collie and part German Shepherd (possibly some Blue Heeler), so she was an extremely smart dog. She would learn words on her own without us trying to teach her those words. We would suddenly realize she knew what that word meant.
Cleo was a beautiful black dog with a white mane on her chest. Once, we took her out for a hike and when we came back, I started working on my computer. She kept nudging me. I thought she wanted to go outside but she didn't.
I was getting a little frustrated because she seemed to want something, but I didn't know what. Then, she laid her big head right on my lap – something she never did when I was on the computer. I looked down to pet her head and there was a tick right on the top of her head! I had not checked her head when we came home from the hike. She told me, in no uncertain terms, “Look at the top of my head!!”
When we brought her to the park to throw a ball for her, she would bounce from side to side like a deer when she was waiting for the ball. I've never seen a dog do that before.
When Ruth went away to college, she would be gone for weeks at a time. When she got home, Cleo would sound like she was having a heart attack, crying and batting at Ruth for about 5 minutes. She was saying, “You left me for too long.” She adored Ruth.
One of her two best buddies. Bert, a German Shepherd/husky mix and Cleo loved each other so much that after an off-leash hike, when we put them back on their leashes, they would walk with their bodies tight together, exactly side-by-side.
When I was working on my computer, she would always lie at my feet and have a paw on my leg or my foot. Sometimes I feel her there still. I was present and, in the moment, when I was with her.
We would go for long walks and I would watch her loving every moment. I couldn't help but feel her joy and it always brought a smile to my face. I miss everything about her, but I see her beautiful almond-shaped eyes in my mind's eye all the time.
We had to have an extra-special celebration for Cleo's 8th birthday, after her battle with cancer. The year before we didn't think she would see another birthday. A leg amputation, a drug trial vaccine through Yale University, 4 rounds of chemo, physio, immunotherapy supplements, and lots of love, got her to this point. So, it was a pretty big deal! To mark the occasion, we cooked up some beef (humanely raised) and pulled out the party paraphernalia. She liked the beef and the attention but wasn't too crazy about her Graduation hat. Unfortunately, her recovery was destined to end.
Cleo's eyes became infected. I had some antibiotic drops in the house & applied those for a couple of days. Her eyes only minimally improved. Her appetite reduced, she was fatigued and drinking extra water. I took her to the vet and relayed all these symptoms. She said it was pink eye and gave me more antibiotic drops. I asked her about the other symptoms and requested a physical exam. She did the exam and said just keep an eye on her.
We applied the drops, but her eyes didn't improve as much as we had hoped. By the weekend, her appetite was greatly reduced but, with coercion, we were able to get her to eat her favourite foods. She was drinking lots of water and her saliva seemed hot when she licked my hand. I bought a baby thermometer and took her temperature. She had a low-grade fever.
We were concerned, so I wrote an email to my veterinarian, apologizing for bothering her on the long weekend. I was hoping that it was just an infection & maybe I could pick up an antibiotic. She replied on Sunday morning and said to call Guelph Veterinary Hospital (where we had her surgery and chemo) and ask to take her in. I called them right away. They said bring her in.
They took X-rays and confirmed our worst fear. She had a large tumour in her lung which means the osteosarcoma had returned. We had a long discussion about options before coming to the awful conclusion that nothing could be done to save her. We decided to bring her home, keep her out of pain and schedule an in-home euthanasia. Her decline was very rapid.
We were so grateful to have had those last special 8 months after her diagnosis. She had given us so much joy, but it was time to say goodbye. We were all heartbroken.
I miss your constant, loyal companionship. I miss your excitement for our morning walks, the wave of your majestic plume tail, your shiny black coat in the sunlight, your big brown eyes meeting mine, your fur under my feet as I worked, and your paw always resting on my leg. I miss your cries of joy when you greeted us, your earnest devotion and unconditional love.
My wish is that I could meet you frolicking in an endless field of soft, powdery snow somewhere.
What I would give to wrap my arms around you and tell you you're the best girl.
