Miss Sally May
“I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you; but instead I am deeply honored knowing you spent the rest of your life with me.”
-Camille Marcotte
It was Friday, September 2, 2010. As I was anticipating work that morning, I stood next to Dusty looking out my front door. I noticed a black object in the tall grass at the road. I figured it was a black bag that someone had tossed out and would probably be blown away before I left for work. It was still there 30 minutes later though it looked as if it might have moved. I hurried to finish breakfast so I could head out.
I didn’t see anything as I drove down the drive, but I decided to stop and check it out. There laying in the grass was what appeared to be a Boston terrier.
It was obvious that she had been hit by a car so I gently loaded her into my SUV and took her to the vet. When I picked her up after work, I was told that she had two broken pelvises.
I attempted to find her owner checking with Animal Control and the Sheriff’s office. I even ran a notice in the local newspaper Lost & Found…for two days. When I got no responses, I decided that we had a new girl in the house and Dusty was going to have to get use to it. (By this time, I had had Dusty for 10 years and she was pretty comfortable with the current arrangement.) And that is how Sally May came to live with me and Dusty.
Initially, I made her a bed in the kitchen corner near the back door. For about a month I had to carry her outside and support her back legs with a towel so she could do her business. It was quickly evident that she was a sweet girl and I easily fell in love with her.
She continued to sleep in the kitchen for about a month. At first, I would hear her creeping up the stairs at night and then down the hallway. Then one night as I lay in bed reading, she stuck her sweet head around the doorway. After that, she would sleep in the bed with me and Dusty until it was time to turn out the light. I made her a bed in the bedroom and she slept there for some time. One night, she jumped down and left the bedroom not to return there to sleep.
I eventually came to realize that, over time, she would periodically make small changes in her routine.
As I said, Dusty was not really good with this arrangement for about nine months or so. She would tolerate Sally, but periodically, she would give her a snarl to remind her who was top dog. However, one day out of the blue, her snarling turned into playing. Once this happened it was like two teenagers who had discovered kissing. Every time they were together, they were doing it. Over the years this would slow down as Dusty’s age caught up with her.
From time to time, I would find the odd sock out in the yard. Once I even found a large stuffed rabbit that I put on the guest bed. Eventually, I took an old pair of white socks, stuffed one sock into the other and tied a knot in the outside sock to make a “sock ball”. Both Sally and Dusty liked to retrieve it and then tug on it till my arm felt like it was coming out of its socket. Over time, Sally became less enamored with this. In fact, she never was much of a toy lover.
After Dusty passed on in 2015, Sally soon came to realize that she was now top dog here at Taig an Drama. Eventually we settled into our roles. She spent
her summer days lazing in the sun in the yard. She would come in panting like a race horse and one side would be hot where she laid in the yard. And her winters she spent sleeping about the house though I would still find her laying in the yard on a warm sunny day. Chasing the squirrels was her favorite pastime. Unlike Dusty, who was never more than a few feet from me, Sally went about her solitary ways except when she wanted attention, which got more frequent as we aged, and, of course, at mealtimes. And while she loved her treats, she looked forward most to her Greenie at bed time.
She would often ride with me in my Mustang. We would go down to Cardin’s Drive-In on Ashville highway. I would indulge in a small chocolate shake, and if it was near eating time I’d get at cheeseburger and fries that I would share with her. When we “cruised”, I would always include “Mustang Sally” by the late great Wilson Pickett in my playlist. Unfortunately, as she go older, car rides made her anxious and we had to cut that out.
When Clovis would come to stay with us, she would try to get him to play in the yard. Usually Clovis would give her a swat with his big paw and that would end that. I would take her with me for my weekly dinner with Amy until her anxieties put an end to it.
The years passed and we both grew greyer and fatter…and slower. She got into the habit of coming into my office and “snuffling” my leg which
would often startle me. I would pause for as long as it took to satisfy her need for attention. In the last year, when I returned from being gone for a long day, she would greet me as if I had been gone for a week. Amy gave me a sign that reads “BEWARE DOG CAN’T HOLD HER LICKER”. And that pretty well sums her up. She was a loving dog that never met a person she didn’t lick.
Early this year, she was diagnosed with Cushing’s which was compounded by what appeared to be arthritis pain. Meds seemed to help this a lot but she would still pant heavily from time to time.
On May 5 of this year, John came into my office and asked if Sally was OK. On checking her out, it appeared that she might have had a stroke. We rushed her to the UT Small Animal Hospital where they confirmed our guess. We left her overnight and the next morning when we went back to pick her up, she was not very responsive. Though they did not say so (why, I don’t know) I suspected that she was drugged. We took her straight from UT to her vet where she began to revive. The vet confirmed that she was probably sedated so we brought her back home.
I kept her beside me in one of her beds and gave her food, water and treats. I would have to carry her outside and back which was hard on the back. John would help me with her when he could. Over the next couple of days she was able to stand on her on and in a few weeks she was walking steadily.
In less than a month she was back to about 90% though she never was able to again jump on the bed. We continued with this new normal over the next several months.
Monday night, September 23, I noticed that Sally was panting shallowly and seemed to be breathing more from her stomach. This concerned me but she settled down and seemed to sleep fine through the night. However, the next morning she continued with the odd breathing and did not lay down. This really concerned me so I called and got her an appointment that afternoon. The vet asked about her heart murmur and said that it sounded like she had a lot of liquid in her lungs. He checked her records and did not find any mention of heart murmur. They took her back to have her X-rayed and the vet came in to tell me that she was suffering from congestive heart failure. Then the tech came to the exam room and said that we needed to come back.
I found her laying on the exam table with her mouth open and panting excessively. The tech was holding an oxygen tube to her face to help her as much as possible. (The tech kept bending down and kissing Sally on the head, which was very sweet of her.) As the vet explained her situation, I could see that her tongue was blue and that she did not respond to me. As he said the words I never wanted to hear, I had to utter the words that I never wanted to say. I held her sweet head and told her I loved her as she slipped away.
As much as I would have liked to lay her to rest next to Dusty, I knew that I could not make the trip home with her. I consented to have her cremated and she now rests on the mantle in the living room where she loved to watch for people walking along her street and bark at them.
When you spend thirteen years with someone that gives you unquestioned love, they leave another hole in your heart that will never heal. So, goodbye for now my Sweetie Pie, my Sally May.
“Having a dog will bless you with the happiest days of your life and one of the saddest days.”
I didn’t see anything as I drove down the drive, but I decided to stop and check it out. There laying in the grass was what appeared to be a Boston terrier.
It was obvious that she had been hit by a car so I gently loaded her into my SUV and took her to the vet. When I picked her up after work, I was told that she had two broken pelvises.
I attempted to find her owner checking with Animal Control and the Sheriff’s office. I even ran a notice in the local newspaper Lost & Found…for two days. When I got no responses, I decided that we had a new girl in the house and Dusty was going to have to get use to it. (By this time, I had had Dusty for 10 years and she was pretty comfortable with the current arrangement.) And that is how Sally May came to live with me and Dusty.
Initially, I made her a bed in the kitchen corner near the back door. For about a month I had to carry her outside and support her back legs with a towel so she could do her business. It was quickly evident that she was a sweet girl and I easily fell in love with her.
She continued to sleep in the kitchen for about a month. At first, I would hear her creeping up the stairs at night and then down the hallway. Then one night as I lay in bed reading, she stuck her sweet head around the doorway. After that, she would sleep in the bed with me and Dusty until it was time to turn out the light. I made her a bed in the bedroom and she slept there for some time. One night, she jumped down and left the bedroom not to return there to sleep.
I eventually came to realize that, over time, she would periodically make small changes in her routine.
As I said, Dusty was not really good with this arrangement for about nine months or so. She would tolerate Sally, but periodically, she would give her a snarl to remind her who was top dog. However, one day out of the blue, her snarling turned into playing. Once this happened it was like two teenagers who had discovered kissing. Every time they were together, they were doing it. Over the years this would slow down as Dusty’s age caught up with her.
From time to time, I would find the odd sock out in the yard. Once I even found a large stuffed rabbit that I put on the guest bed. Eventually, I took an old pair of white socks, stuffed one sock into the other and tied a knot in the outside sock to make a “sock ball”. Both Sally and Dusty liked to retrieve it and then tug on it till my arm felt like it was coming out of its socket. Over time, Sally became less enamored with this. In fact, she never was much of a toy lover.
After Dusty passed on in 2015, Sally soon came to realize that she was now top dog here at Taig an Drama. Eventually we settled into our roles. She spent
her summer days lazing in the sun in the yard. She would come in panting like a race horse and one side would be hot where she laid in the yard. And her winters she spent sleeping about the house though I would still find her laying in the yard on a warm sunny day. Chasing the squirrels was her favorite pastime. Unlike Dusty, who was never more than a few feet from me, Sally went about her solitary ways except when she wanted attention, which got more frequent as we aged, and, of course, at mealtimes. And while she loved her treats, she looked forward most to her Greenie at bed time.
She would often ride with me in my Mustang. We would go down to Cardin’s Drive-In on Ashville highway. I would indulge in a small chocolate shake, and if it was near eating time I’d get at cheeseburger and fries that I would share with her. When we “cruised”, I would always include “Mustang Sally” by the late great Wilson Pickett in my playlist. Unfortunately, as she go older, car rides made her anxious and we had to cut that out.
When Clovis would come to stay with us, she would try to get him to play in the yard. Usually Clovis would give her a swat with his big paw and that would end that. I would take her with me for my weekly dinner with Amy until her anxieties put an end to it.
The years passed and we both grew greyer and fatter…and slower. She got into the habit of coming into my office and “snuffling” my leg which
would often startle me. I would pause for as long as it took to satisfy her need for attention. In the last year, when I returned from being gone for a long day, she would greet me as if I had been gone for a week. Amy gave me a sign that reads “BEWARE DOG CAN’T HOLD HER LICKER”. And that pretty well sums her up. She was a loving dog that never met a person she didn’t lick.
Early this year, she was diagnosed with Cushing’s which was compounded by what appeared to be arthritis pain. Meds seemed to help this a lot but she would still pant heavily from time to time.
On May 5 of this year, John came into my office and asked if Sally was OK. On checking her out, it appeared that she might have had a stroke. We rushed her to the UT Small Animal Hospital where they confirmed our guess. We left her overnight and the next morning when we went back to pick her up, she was not very responsive. Though they did not say so (why, I don’t know) I suspected that she was drugged. We took her straight from UT to her vet where she began to revive. The vet confirmed that she was probably sedated so we brought her back home.
I kept her beside me in one of her beds and gave her food, water and treats. I would have to carry her outside and back which was hard on the back. John would help me with her when he could. Over the next couple of days she was able to stand on her on and in a few weeks she was walking steadily.
In less than a month she was back to about 90% though she never was able to again jump on the bed. We continued with this new normal over the next several months.
Monday night, September 23, I noticed that Sally was panting shallowly and seemed to be breathing more from her stomach. This concerned me but she settled down and seemed to sleep fine through the night. However, the next morning she continued with the odd breathing and did not lay down. This really concerned me so I called and got her an appointment that afternoon. The vet asked about her heart murmur and said that it sounded like she had a lot of liquid in her lungs. He checked her records and did not find any mention of heart murmur. They took her back to have her X-rayed and the vet came in to tell me that she was suffering from congestive heart failure. Then the tech came to the exam room and said that we needed to come back.
I found her laying on the exam table with her mouth open and panting excessively. The tech was holding an oxygen tube to her face to help her as much as possible. (The tech kept bending down and kissing Sally on the head, which was very sweet of her.) As the vet explained her situation, I could see that her tongue was blue and that she did not respond to me. As he said the words I never wanted to hear, I had to utter the words that I never wanted to say. I held her sweet head and told her I loved her as she slipped away.
As much as I would have liked to lay her to rest next to Dusty, I knew that I could not make the trip home with her. I consented to have her cremated and she now rests on the mantle in the living room where she loved to watch for people walking along her street and bark at them.
When you spend thirteen years with someone that gives you unquestioned love, they leave another hole in your heart that will never heal. So, goodbye for now my Sweetie Pie, my Sally May.
-Unknown