When my sister, Karla, married Todd about five years ago, she inherited a baby girl named Shelby and I inherited another niece. Todd had gotten Shelby from a rescue organization and she was about six years old at the time. Todd loved her and by all accounts took very good care of her, but let's face it, having a great Daddy is just not the same as having a great Mommy....and Karla is a great Mommy. Shelby had a heart murmur for which she had been receiving treatment for a couple of years, but she was also overweight. Well, Karla fixed that straight away. Shelby is a tiny little thing at about three pounds or so, all hair. You know the type. She had been responding well to her new figure and the heart murmur had all but vanished, but a couple of weeks ago, Karla and Todd learned that Shelby was in kidney failure and because of the heart problems, there wasn't much they could do except keep her happy and comfortable.
When Todd and Shelby first joined the family, I had my previous Rottweiler, Gracie May Sugarbaker that I lost in October, 2010 to bone cancer. She loved to chase squirrels....never caught one. I used to tease Todd and ask him why he wouldn't let Shelby go squirrel hunting with Gracie. He never gave me a very good reason, but he never would let her go. Can't you just see that, an 85 pound Rottweiler and a three pound Pomeranian on a squirrel hunt! Todd is constantly making comments that indicate to me he really, really thinks that my dogs would simply eat his dogs. Well, I have one dog that I don't trust around little dogs, little miss Justice Marie; but, Jebadiah and Sophie do very well around other dogs of any size. Todd is just a silly man sometimes.
Friday, May 3, it got too be much, and Karla and Todd decided it was time to end the suffering. I am so thankful that last week during my visit to Springfield I was able to hold Shelby for quite a long time. She didn't take too well to being held, only by people very special to her, and I was so happy that she considered me one of those people. She laid in my arms on her back so contented and we just looked at each other. It went on so long, that she actually became heavy - three pounds and she got heavy. Anyway, I will always have that memory of her.
To me her face looked like a baby seal. She was just one of those dogs that was just adorable. Don't you agree?
And, I have been playing with my recently acquired from Rio Grande
Bail Making Pliers. I have always figured I could do without them, using mandrels, ink pens, Sharpies.....but trust me, these things are great. They have put me one step closer to being able to make two of something that actually come close to matching.
I wear a lot of western, tribal, earthy jewelry and I wanted a set that I could interchange. Here it is! I love this set.
They are very easy to slip on and off.
3 comments:
Your creations are beautiful; I am so sorry about the lovely Shelby. That is NEVER easy.
vickie
Nice job on those changeable earrings. So sorry about Shelby - my parents usually had at least one small dog...mostly a Chihuahua. Uh, Poor Justice Marie - Pancho even took on horses. We were always trying to grab him because we were afraid he'd get stomped. The horse couldn't turn fast enough to see down to where he was coming from. Rottie's get a bad name when it's usually the little "tigers" who are pound for pound the roughest of them all. Your story made me smile.
Aw, sweet Shelby ... hold onto those special memories.
My Brownie (a mix between a chow and a bulldog) lived a healthy 18 years and died of old age in my arms. It doesn't make me sad to think of him because he was such a great dog and I was able to be with him in the end.
As always, love your earring designs! :)
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