A Sad Weekend

By Carol Boker

Editor in Chief of Pet Product News International and Pet Style News

I lost my best canine pal this weekend to lymphoma. Belle, our 11 ½-year-old black Lab, couldn’t walk at all when she woke up on Friday morning. My husband spent an hour helping her get outside and held her up with the harness leash our local pet store recommended. We thought her condition might be temporary, so I watched her all day and tried to help her up on occasion without success. Her normal excitement for snacks wasn’t even there. When my husband returned home early, we looked for signs of the “old Belle,” but they weren’t there. We made an appointment with the vet, hoping she might have an answer, but she just told us how weak her back legs and hips were. So we made the decision to do the right thing for her, not us.

We made it through all this with the support of our local pet store and vet. Without their help and guidance, it would have been much more difficult. The pet industry certainly has some wonderful people in it. The support and love of pet-loving friends meant everything too.

We will spread her ashes in the woods where she spent her early years. In time, we will consider adopting another dog … not to take Belle’s place, but to fill the void in our lives.

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