Saying Goodbye to Delly

This is a post I don't want to write. And, I probably won't get through typing it without crying. We had to say goodbye to our sweet Delly girl this past week at 13 years old. I'm not sure how to sum up her life, and words will fail if I try to convey just how much she was loved! We got her around our first anniversary, when I was still very young and lonely in a new town. She was literally the perfect dog. So easy to train, and she just wanted to be with us. I called her my shadow. She would be all comfy, and snoring softly, but if I got up - she was right with me.

We loved watching her with our niece and nephews. She adored them, and vice versa. Even when they were small - she was so patient, and didn't mind if they messed with her. And as they all got older, she loved to sit on top of them and awaited their affections.

When she was younger, Delly had the most gorgeous black coat I've ever seen. Just so shiny! We called her ham-tongue because inevitably her tongue would stick out, and it looked like a piece of ham.

She's been a big part of my blog too! She was just 3 years old when I started blogging under the name: Pugs, Pearls & Positivity.

Delly has had a tough year. Her mobility went way down hill with some kind of nerve issue, as well as arthritis. A couple of things helped - we started her on a new medication a few months ago and got her little toe grips to help her walk without slipping. Last year she also injured her eye and it took months to get it healed. In the last few weeks she just really started to decline. Her mobility was just so poor, and she began having accidents all the time, and then to top it all off she injured her good eye. (No idea how it happened.) With so little vision left it just became so clear that her life had become one big struggle.

It was the toughest decision to make, but we just knew it was time. Fortunately, we found an absolute angel of a mobile vet who helped us say goodbye in our own home. I'm am so grateful for that. Obviously, it was the hardest thing to experience, and I have cried every day. But, beyond just missing her absence, I have missed our puppy for a lot longer. Seeing your dog age is just so hard!

For a 20 pound little doggie, she sure took up a lot of room! We are still getting used to the quieter house. After all, we had 13 years of her noises and presence. I still keep thinking she's just at the other end of the couch.

We miss her dearly. The other pugs are doing ok. I'm glad we have them. If our house was empty, this would be so much harder. Bailey and Winston are mother and son, so they are really bonded to each other. Delly was bonded to me, so I don't think they are depressed or anything like some dogs can get when they lose their buddies. It may have also helped that they were here when we said goodbye to Delly, so it seems that they have a sense of what happened to her. I have noticed they are much more cuddly to me than usual - but that may just be because the space is available now.

Ugh, I've just been so sad. Although I sobbed in the days leading up to, and the first few after - it is getting better each day. But, I still think about her constantly. Putting her things away was terrible, so I stopped, and ended up just leaving out her leash and harness. I'll get to that later on. I even cried sweeping up one night, thinking how one day I'd sweep up the last of her hair. (Dramatic? probably - but I'm letting myself have that one.) Truthfully, there is so much of her hair everywhere - I think I will keep finding it literally forever. 😂

We've had so many sweet friends reaching out to us. It's one of those things that if you get it, you get it. It's a sad little club to be in. And actually, one of my best friends just had to say goodbye to their dog that they got around the same time as Delly, right around their first anniversary as well. It's cool(?), or maybe nice is a better word, to be walking the same path as someone else in that way. I'm grateful that my friends have been there to listen to me.

Blake's boss was so sweet and let him work from home for a couple of days during this. We had preplanned to have 2 sets of company come and stay that weekend, and I'm glad we went ahead with our scheduled programing. It was super nice to have friends nearby and to keep us distracted with a full house. The world keeps turning, ya know.

Well, I only teared up once typing this all out, so I consider that a win. Thanks for being there for me, and letting me grieve here in my little corner of the internet.