Unger Squad: Zoey May-One Year Later

When I told Josh I wanted a puppy he was against it. Keelin was 5 months old. We were getting ready to move into our first house after being in the condo. I argued it was perfect timing. We could bring her home right after I finished with school for the summer and I would train her. Reluctantly, he agreed. But he fell in love with her as much as I did. Training: she was never a good one for the leash. Not for lack of trying. That was really Josh's domain. He tried. Walking her up and down the street on her leash. We were lucky enough to have a fenced in back yard where she could run free. Run free she did. After anything we threw to her. She loved playing fetch. She would start frothing at the mouth before she would stop. We had to make her stop. She was pretty easy to "potty" train, rarely barked, and has the sweetest disposition of any dog I think I have ever met. She loved all of the kids. Nibbling on Keelin's toes when we brought her home and cooling off in the saucer part of Kee's exersaucer is how I remember her in Buffalo. When we moved down to GA, she rode with me and the kids in the Subaru. We moved in with Kristin and Chris and Zoey went to stay with my new friend, Amy and her family. We were separated for a couple of months while we house hunted but then Zoey came with us to our new home in GA. Zoey loved being outdoors here. She loved to lay in the sun on the back patio and of course, play ball. I remember our dogs growing up shaking on the rides to the vet. Not Zoey. She loved the vet and her caregivers there. They always commented on how sweet and happy she was to be there. She did great on long car rides back and forth home to NY when we first moved here. When we vacationed and could not take her, she happily went to friends' houses. Moving down here did a number on Zoey's ears and skin. She got many ear infections and the vet told us that unless we moved to Arizona or back to NY, she would be affected by them here. So she had shots every 6 months and that really helped until the past couple years when she started taking prednisone for her itching and joints. A few years ago we were told she had a tumor on her leg and we should amputate. Her love of running and the fact that she was 9 years old led us to the decision not to amputate. We did get a biopsy which was inconclusive. And the "tumor" shrunk and went away.....We were lucky to have almost three more years with her. Her ear problems did cause her ear canals to completely close up. This did not prevent her from hearing me getting the Cabot cheese out of the refrigerator. She was there right next to me waiting for me to cut her a piece. I spent Christmas night laying on the floor next to the fire with Max and Zoey both curled up around me. She loved fires. She loved to be pet and if you stopped she would nudge your arm to continue or paw you until you started up again. If I was sad, she knew. When I lay on the couch, she would come up and lay next to me on the floor or lay her head on my chest to be pet. On Thursday, she did not seem herself. She would not get up off the step. She had thrown up a couple days before and then stopped eating. Josh took her to the vet and they diagnosed her with a stomach tumor although not sure if it was in her intestine or liver. Because of her age, the size, and her difficulty with breathing (the vet said it was pressing on her diagphram) we were told to make a decision....
I slept downstairs with Zoey that night. Her discomfort was evident and I lay silently sobbing next to her. Josh and I took her to the vet the next day, Cabot slices in my pocket. Her Dr. was in tears telling us that we made the best decision and how much more humane we are to our pets than to people. They placed a plate of cake next to her which she promptly ignored for the cheese I held out. That's my girl. She went quietly, with no more pain...her head in my lap.
**One year later....still thinking about her all the time. Charley definitely has a really good life because of how much we loved Zoey and what a good dog she was. She set a high standard but she also taught us about unconditional love and that time is so short. Here are some of Zoey....

xo~M

April 18, 2001-January 4, 2013