Remembering Tanya : RIP June 26, 2008

[mnhtnbb]

My 18 yo son and I had to take Tanya to the vet last Thursday where she was peacefully put to rest.

We had her for 13 years. We got her from the Animal Shelter when we were living in Lincoln, NE
and they thought she was anywhere from 1-3 years old at the time, so she must have been at least 14 last week.

She came with us out of the fire that destroyed our home in Chapel Hill last August at 4:30 a.m.
She was amazingly calm that morning for a dog that had always been frightened of fires. Anytime we had one in the fireplace, she'd get up and go in another room. Did she know?

After the fire, she didn't get as much brushing and attention as she needed for her long fur,
and it got matted in a couple of places. She got skin infections and the vet advised shaving her.
Her beautiful coat never grew back the way it had been. And she had such sad eyes after that.

In the last few weeks she'd been eating less. Sometimes she'd throw up and not eat anything else
that day. She would refuse her favorites: scrambled eggs, cheese slices, even bites of hot dog.
She was having trouble getting up, going down the one step to get outside, and even walking.
I talked to the vet about what to expect if she wasn't eating and we came to the conclusion
that it was probably time to let her go peacefully rather than starve. She probably had cancer,
since she'd had external tumors that we watched/removed over the years.

It's taken me several days to be able to write this without tearing up. She was my constant companion
for 13 years, since I work from home. When my youngest son was in grammar school in Lincoln, Tanya
and I used to walk him to school in the mornings. When we brought our kittens, Mouse and Simba, home
almost 12 years ago, Tanya accepted them. We have always wondered whether Mouse thought Tanya was his mother, because he liked to cuddle up with her. She'd let him...but you could tell she wished he'd go somewhere else! Since Thursday, Mouse has been curling up in the exact spot where Tanya
would lay next to my desk.

I have had so many losses since we moved to Chapel Hill in 2000. My mom died 3 weeks after our move; my dad died a year and a half later. Our house and almost everything in it was destroyed by fire last summer. Now Tanya is gone. I'm really feeling mortality, I guess.

I could use some hugs!

Click on the link for a picture of Tanya and Mouse.



http://tinyurl.com/5kmy93

[mnhtnbb]

1. Finally, I figured out how to link a picture of Tanya and Mouse taken

several years ago in the house that burned down.

[bertha katzenengel]

2. I'm sorry, mnh.

:hug:

[mnhtnbb]

10. Thanks.

[PeaceNikki]

3. Aww... I am so sorry for your losses!

:(

:hug:

[mnhtnbb]

9. Thanks.

[hobbit709]

4. I'm so sorry

It's never easy losing a furkid.

[mnhtnbb]

6. I'm 57, so I've lost quite a few of those furkids. We'd never had one for as long as Tanya

was with us.

I think I'm also remembering Honey dog, a mix Golden Retriever (also from a shelter) that we lost to
an accident with a car when I was confined to bed with pregnancy complications with the son who is now 18.

Oh, so many memories...

Thanks.

[UrbScotty]

5. A hug for you, mnhtnbb.

I hope that the memories you made with Tanya will help you through this time.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

:hug:

[mnhtnbb]

7. Thanks for the hug.

[lost-in-nj]

8. I'm sorry

:hug:

sounds like you both made each others lives better....

lost

btw I can't get the link to work...
would love to see her picture.....

[mnhtnbb]

12. Oh no! It's working for me.

My oldest son e-mailed me pix that were on his computer, and I uploaded to Snapfish. Their URL
was so long, I converted to a tinyurl. Is there some reason that might only work on my computer?

I couldn't figure out a way to attach a jpeg file on my computer to the OP. Is there a trick
I'm missing?

I am so techie impaired.

[MrsBrady]

11. so sorry n/t

[Bennyboy]

13. ((((HUGS)))))) Sorry my friend....

Sorry for your loss. losing pets is so hard.

[mnhtnbb]

14. Thanks.

[Wcross]

15. I am sorry you lost Tanya, it is as bad as losing a family member.

I guess it is because they really ARE members of your family. Rest in peace Tanya.

[mnhtnbb]

19. I think it's harder than losing some family members--especially if you weren't

sympatico.

These furry friends are so unconditional with their love. They follow you all day long.
They live to have you walk them, play with them, pet them.

They are such good teachers of what it means to love, aren't they?

[Eurobabe]

16. Oh I am so sorry...RIP Tanya

Hugs coming your way. I am so sorry you lost your best friend. :grouphug: :grouphug:

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

17. I'm so sorry

You have certainly had a rough time. It's so terribly hard to lose a furry baby. RIP Tanya. :hug:

[Robeson]

18. It is so hard...

...I'm sorry...:hug:

[mnhtnbb]

20. Thanks to everyone for the hugs. It does help.

[lizziegrace]

21. :-(

I'm so sorry for all of you. Loss seems to come in waves, making you feel as though you can't possibly take another step. I hope that eventually the sadness is replaced with fond memories of your dear baby girl. :hug:

[malta blue]

22. So sorry,,,

:cry::cry:

I lost my Luna a week before you lost Tanya...may they meet at the bridge until we can join them....

:hug:

[I Have A Dream]

23. I'm so very sorry for the loss of your wonderful friend, mnhtnbb.

:(

:hug:

(I clicked on the link and only got a red box.)

[Brigid]

24. So sorry to hear about Tanya.

It's always sad to lose a beloved family member. :hug:

[JeffR]

25. Deepest sympathies

:hug:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

26. RIP Tanya I'm so sorry mnhtnbb

hugs by the ton :hug: :hug: :hug: :loveya: :hug: :hug: :hug:

[Madrone]

27. :(

There's been an unusually high number of us dealing with the same subject over the last couple of months. :hug: :hug: :hug: Thank you for giving an animal such a loving, forever home.

[dark blue]

28. you have the biggest hug

i have! how hard it is to lose one of the furfamily. i'm too sad for words.

[marzipanni]

29. I'm sorry about so much sad stuff happening!

I'm your age and my dog Sally will be about Tanya's age when my son is eighteen (in 5 years) After seeing "My Dog Skip" on my son's eighth birthday, shortly after we adopted 2-year old Sally, I thought "I hope she doesn't die when he leaves for college". :cry:

Here's another :hug:, and give Mouse a chin scratch or whatever he likes best, it sounds like he really misses Tanya, too.

I'd like to see the photo,too. With photobucket you just paste the photo's whole url they supply in your post and DU converts it to the image.

[mnhtnbb]

30. Finally! This image works! Too late to edit OP

[Wcross]

37. She was a beautiful girl, thanks for sharing her picture.

I wish dogs could stay with us longer, they fill a very special place in our lives.

[mnhtnbb]

31. Marzipanni--thanks for the tip on photobucket! My oldest son--who has his own place--

didn't lose his computer or pictures. He had some of Tanya on his computer and he sent them
to me today. I hadn't entered the digital age when we had our fire--although I did lose a digital
camera in the fire that I hadn't yet learned to use.

So..I really struggled with trying to get this pic up this afternoon. Now I can upload all the photos
and order copies. We're going to make an album to remember Tanya.

With luck, Sally should make it many more years.

:hi:

[marzipanni]

34. That is a sweet photo, I'm glad you got it posted.

In the eighties I had a dog named Brindle who looked like he could be Tanya's brother (except he had tan feet), and a big tabby cat named Mr. Ticket. They used to sleep next to each other, and Ticket would rub up against Brindle's chest to greet him. I love dog/cat friendships!

[mitchum]

32. My thoughts are with you and everyone who knew and loved Tanya

I am so sorry for your loss

[mnhtnbb]

33. Thank you, mitchum.

[mix]

35. She must have been a beautiful animal

hang in there

[mnhtnbb]

36. Thanks. Now that I'm able to work on an album it is helping to remember her

sweet spirit rather than feeling the loss so much.