Golden Retriever - The Day We Said Goodbye

Golden Retriever - The Day We Said Goodbye

By: Sandi Schreiber - Tampa, FL.

In 1991, my husband called me at work to tell me that he had found a Golden Retriever puppy that had been thrown into a dumpster and left there to die. Of course, he got her out and brought her home. We had two other dogs at the time, but there is always room for one more in our home and in our hearts. We named her Teddi because she looked like a stuffed Teddy Bear when I carried her in the crook of my arm. She would just flop around with this goofy look on her face.

This dog was so sick, having eaten garbage from the dumpster. I remember right after we brought her home, I took her for a walk and she voided - but voided hundreds of worms. We got her to the Vet that very same day and started a deworming program immediately. Of course, she was fine afterward. Well, Ms. Teddi was the most hyper dog we ever had. We would come home at night and something new would be destroyed - furniture, shoes, etc. She even chewed a hole in the wall going up the stairs to our second floor. I would call Lighthouse for the Blind every night and beg them to take her, but she was too old.

So, we started crating her when we left for work. Within a week, she would just walk in because she knew that Mommy would not come home and start crying because something else was destroyed. Within a month, Ms. Teddi had gotten over her destruction and never destroyed another thing again. The crate went away for a while. Well years went by. She had a hysterectomy and mastectomy on the same day and we almost lost her. Then she had two ear operations. Teddi cost us a lot of money, but who cared? What's money? She was our girl and affection as only a Golden can be.

About 1-1/2 years ago, we noticed she was having a hard time walking and getting up and down. We took her to her Dr. Mark and he gave us the bad news. Not only did she have hip dysplasia, but also was losing muscle mass. We gave her the vitamins and supplements and medicines, but it only got worse. It got to the point that we would have to put a towel under her tummy to get her up off the floor and bring her outside in the yard. Of course, no more walks with Ms. Teddi. Finally, last September, we made the hardest vet appointment ever - her last visit to her beloved Dr. Mark.

That Saturday morning, my husband, my big man, could not stand up for all the crying he was doing. He could not bring himself to take her to the vet. We held her and we cried and he finally knew that we had to take that last ride to the vet. He carried this big girl into the room and we sat and held her and cried. My last words to her were that we were so sorry. How could we take this beautiful girl that we had the pleasure of knowing for 14 years and just let her go. But, we knew we had to.

Dr. Mark was even crying - he had been her doc all those years and did all her operations and taken care of her. He kept saying that we were doing the kindest thing for her - letting her go to the Rainbow Bridge. He gave her that last that, she looked at us and she was gone. We could not leave her. We refused to leave that room and leave her alone. They let us sit as long as we needed. Finally, we picked up her harness and collar, kissed her goodbye one last time and walked out holding each other. We would never see our beloved Teddi again, except in pictures we have on our computer. It was a horrible, horrible day. We came home and her brothers were running around looking for her. They hardly ate for the next week - they knew she was gone.

We had so many wonderful years with our Teddi. We know that she will be waiting for us, along with all those others who came before her and will come after her, at the Rainbow Bridge. We can't wait for the day that we will be reunited with her.

We miss you Ms. Teddi

Sandi Schreiber - Tampa, FL.