Today was one of the hardest days of my life.
I got Cliff the Mutt when he was 4 months old.He was a pound baby through and through, since he was born there.
I was the second family that got him.
And I have been so very blessed for the past 13 years.
He was mine from day one. Spent most of our first day together (after he got a bath) with him curled up in my lap.
He always slept with me. Cuddled with me and could induce the BEST puppy naps ever.
He passed his CGC test and we became a Pet Assisted Therapy team for the Sonoma County Humane Society and we worked with Alzheimer patients at Adobe House and Primrose, and infirm patients at Friend's House.
Cliff could bring a smile to everyone.
His heart got worse until it he was diagnosed with full fledged Congenital Heart Failure.
I put him on meds. He was really good about them. But it wasn't enough.
After the emergency vet scare of a few weeks ago, I knew we were getting close.
A second bout of Bronchitis certainly didn't help.
Friday night I got the bad news that his heart was still getting bigger and he could go at any time.
When I got him home that night I told him it was okay; that he didn't need to stick around for me anymore. He needed to be in a place where he could run and play and be able to breathe.
I asked him to let me know when enough was enough, and he told me.
Spent most of Sunday and Monday night up with him helping him breathe. His heart stopped once on Sunday night, but he came back to me.
But he wasn't steady and I wasn't keeping my promise to not me him suffer, so I made the call yesterday and took him in this morning.
I hope you are having fun now with Oscar the Dog, Smokey Cat, Bobo, Norman and Herky. And I truly hope I get to see you again some day.
Good bye Monkey Boy.
