Holly

I want to tell you guys about Holly. I haven't mentioned her on this blog before now, but that is not to say she is not one of the most important beings in my life. I say 'being', as opposed to 'person', because Holly is a dog.

As any of you who knows me personally knows, my parents broke up when I was 16. It was Christmastime - literally. We spent the holidays with my grandparents in Montreal, and Dad left Boxing Day to move out of our home back in Ontario. But his Christmas gift to my mother, my brother and I - who had all wanted a dog - was a Miniature Schnauzer puppy named Holly.

Now - any of you who knows Holly, knows she is a brat. Just a brat. She's yappy, she bites - especially me - and she was very hard to housebreak. To this day she is good around one other dog and one only - my grandparents' dog Heidi. But she has been OUR brat - while Mom and Kyle (the bro) and I were finding our footing as a new family unit, Holly was the fourth member of our team, and we all love her dearly. She's an awesome (though neurotic and high strung) dog.

Now - in recent months (say the last year-18 months) her health has been declining. She has something called Cushing's Disease, which ultimately leads to the failure of her kidneys. We have known for a year or so that she would not reach her full life expectancy (12-14 years for Schnauzers). From the vet's expectations, she's already had an extra 6-12 mos. more than they expected. But unfortunately that is about to end.

Without getting into details, Holly's health has really deteriorated in the last 48 hours - I was over there tonight, and it is truly sad to see her. The decision was made today that on Saturday she will be put down - that is still the plan, but even since then she has gone further downhill, and it could be as soon as tomorrow depending on what the vet has to say when she returns for an IV tomorrow (she's dehydrated).

This dog brought love into our home after my parents' separation and divorce - she's a brat, but she was playful and loved her family. She has always been spunky to say the least, with boundless energy, and it is so sad to see her as she is, and yet she has been such a presence I have a hard time imagining her gone.

I don't know quite what the point of writing this was - probably very few of you, if any, know the dog, or me very well, but I just felt I had to do something. I feel bad for Holly, and I feel bad for my mother, brother and step-father who still live with her and are having to watch her in failing health. Plus of course, I'm sad too. It's just a tough time, and I guess I thought writing about it would help me feel better. I'll let you know if it does ... :(

Thanks for your readership and support, guys. I appreciate it. Big hugs to you all, your families, and your pets. Cherish them always - be well.