Abby
A donation was made in memory of Abby by Doctors and Staff of the Pet Loss Hotline on Sep 21, 2009.
In the winter of 1998, three weeks before Christmas, Abby came into my life. My son walked through the front door, wearing a huge grin, as he exclaimed, "Merry Christmas mom." In his arms he held a little black bundle of fur. When I realized it was a puppy, my immediate reaction was, "Get it out of here!" A puppy was the last thing I wanted, especially a Rottweiler puppy. He put the little black bundle on the floor, and curiously, she walked over to me. I scooped her up and she kissed my face. That was it. The bond was instant.
Abby was a rambunctious and mischievous pup. That first month was totally full of laughs as Abby did the most endearing things. She found a cozy spot right under the Christmas tree to curl up and sleep, just like a picture on a holiday card. At one point she decided to pull an ornament off the tree and the whole tree came tumbling down. She was always doing funny things. I found her sitting on the floor one day, wearing my underwear wrapped around her head. Another time, she decided to shake up a pillow, which resulted in the whole room being covered with white cotton fluff. Abby made us laugh when we least expected it. One autumn, I had just finished raking up a huge pile of leaves, when she ran from a distance and jumped into the pile making the leaves fly everywhere. That was the same year she discovered the joy of digging holes in the yard, with an artful precision, to bury the treats I gave her. It usually resulted in her paws, as well as her nose being covered in mud that she happily tracked all over the house. She was perfect.
The months and years quickly flew by, and Abby grew from a little pup into a beautiful, courageous, noble, Rottie. Her head was massive in size. Her body grew powerful. With her coat gleaming in the sun, she glided along effortlessly with her buoyant trot. Her imposing figure was a real show stopper. She could easily wrestle anyone to the ground, but her heart was even bigger than she was. Abby didn't know the meaning of discrimination. The way a person looked or dressed did not matter to her. In Abby's eyes, everyone was equal. For those brave enough to pet her, she rewarded them by slobbering their faces with a thousand kisses. As intimidating as she looked, Abby was just a big, sweet, teddy bear. She made sure, though, that her courage and protective nature were not underestimated. She never failed to warn us when an animal or potential intruder approached the house. If we let them in, she immediately knew it was a friend, and proceeded to run and grab her ball for a game of catch.
People were amazed at Abby's intelligence. She seemed to learn everything in just one lesson. She knew the names of every family member as well as the names of every dog on the block. When you would tell her to go to a particular person, she would walk right over to them. Abby seemed to understand every conversation. It came to the point where we had to spell in front of her if we were talking about something we didn't want her to hear. After a while, she even seemed to understand how to spell.
Abby loved a variety of games. One of her favorites was hide and seek. Whenever we brought her home a rawhide bone, she would take it into another room to hide it, usually in the couch pillows or in a corner somewhere. She'd bark until we found the bone and then she would hide it again. She also enjoyed a good game of catch, as well as tug-of-war which Abby always won of course. Abby loved to play in the snow with the zest of a little child. She’d leap through the drifts with the grace of a gazelle, then scoop up the snow with her snoot and fling it high in the air. Her all time favorite activity, aside from eating chicken, was riding in the car to the beach or park where she would stroll along, sniff the ground, make new friends, and occasionally chase a stray cat.
Christmas was Abby's favorite holiday. She knew there would be toys wrapped up, and waiting for her under the tree. She always knew exactly which gifts were hers. She would sniff them out, unwrap them and immediately proceed to rip the whistles out of every toy. One particular day, just before Christmas, no one was home, and Abby decided to unwrap every gift under the tree, even the ones that did not belong to her.
As the years passed, she never ceased to amaze us. She was obedient, friendly, intelligent, calm and courageous. Anyone who believes the stigma attached to Rottweilers should have known my Abby. She was amazing.
In the winter of Abby's 9th year, we noticed something growing on her paw. The vet advised us that the lump invading her paw should be removed and biopsied. It was then that our dear Abby was diagnosed at the age of 9 1/2 with cancer. She seemed to defy the odds by spending the next eighteen months healthy, happy and cancer free, but as fate would have it, in July of 2009 at the age of 11, the tumor returned. As the cancer picked up speed, and grew bigger each day, her main focus became licking her paw. Even the two pain medications she was on began to lose their effectiveness. There seemed to be a sadness in Abby’s eyes that I never saw before. On September 12, 2009, our family came to the sad conclusion that it would be in Abby's best interest to put her to rest. It was the most heart wrenching decision we had ever made.
My world will never be the same without Abby in it. I will miss her every day for the rest of my life. When Abby passed on that day, she took a piece of my heart with her. As I try to move on without my best friend, I feel that I am a better person for having loved Abby. She was not just a pet. She was a loyal companion who showed me how to live simply, and love unconditionally. She taught me that at the end of the day, all that really matters is a good meal, a walk in the park, and being with those you love.
Forever in our hearts,
Mommy (Barbara) Eric & Tara
Abby was a rambunctious and mischievous pup. That first month was totally full of laughs as Abby did the most endearing things. She found a cozy spot right under the Christmas tree to curl up and sleep, just like a picture on a holiday card. At one point she decided to pull an ornament off the tree and the whole tree came tumbling down. She was always doing funny things. I found her sitting on the floor one day, wearing my underwear wrapped around her head. Another time, she decided to shake up a pillow, which resulted in the whole room being covered with white cotton fluff. Abby made us laugh when we least expected it. One autumn, I had just finished raking up a huge pile of leaves, when she ran from a distance and jumped into the pile making the leaves fly everywhere. That was the same year she discovered the joy of digging holes in the yard, with an artful precision, to bury the treats I gave her. It usually resulted in her paws, as well as her nose being covered in mud that she happily tracked all over the house. She was perfect.
The months and years quickly flew by, and Abby grew from a little pup into a beautiful, courageous, noble, Rottie. Her head was massive in size. Her body grew powerful. With her coat gleaming in the sun, she glided along effortlessly with her buoyant trot. Her imposing figure was a real show stopper. She could easily wrestle anyone to the ground, but her heart was even bigger than she was. Abby didn't know the meaning of discrimination. The way a person looked or dressed did not matter to her. In Abby's eyes, everyone was equal. For those brave enough to pet her, she rewarded them by slobbering their faces with a thousand kisses. As intimidating as she looked, Abby was just a big, sweet, teddy bear. She made sure, though, that her courage and protective nature were not underestimated. She never failed to warn us when an animal or potential intruder approached the house. If we let them in, she immediately knew it was a friend, and proceeded to run and grab her ball for a game of catch.
People were amazed at Abby's intelligence. She seemed to learn everything in just one lesson. She knew the names of every family member as well as the names of every dog on the block. When you would tell her to go to a particular person, she would walk right over to them. Abby seemed to understand every conversation. It came to the point where we had to spell in front of her if we were talking about something we didn't want her to hear. After a while, she even seemed to understand how to spell.
Abby loved a variety of games. One of her favorites was hide and seek. Whenever we brought her home a rawhide bone, she would take it into another room to hide it, usually in the couch pillows or in a corner somewhere. She'd bark until we found the bone and then she would hide it again. She also enjoyed a good game of catch, as well as tug-of-war which Abby always won of course. Abby loved to play in the snow with the zest of a little child. She’d leap through the drifts with the grace of a gazelle, then scoop up the snow with her snoot and fling it high in the air. Her all time favorite activity, aside from eating chicken, was riding in the car to the beach or park where she would stroll along, sniff the ground, make new friends, and occasionally chase a stray cat.
Christmas was Abby's favorite holiday. She knew there would be toys wrapped up, and waiting for her under the tree. She always knew exactly which gifts were hers. She would sniff them out, unwrap them and immediately proceed to rip the whistles out of every toy. One particular day, just before Christmas, no one was home, and Abby decided to unwrap every gift under the tree, even the ones that did not belong to her.
As the years passed, she never ceased to amaze us. She was obedient, friendly, intelligent, calm and courageous. Anyone who believes the stigma attached to Rottweilers should have known my Abby. She was amazing.
In the winter of Abby's 9th year, we noticed something growing on her paw. The vet advised us that the lump invading her paw should be removed and biopsied. It was then that our dear Abby was diagnosed at the age of 9 1/2 with cancer. She seemed to defy the odds by spending the next eighteen months healthy, happy and cancer free, but as fate would have it, in July of 2009 at the age of 11, the tumor returned. As the cancer picked up speed, and grew bigger each day, her main focus became licking her paw. Even the two pain medications she was on began to lose their effectiveness. There seemed to be a sadness in Abby’s eyes that I never saw before. On September 12, 2009, our family came to the sad conclusion that it would be in Abby's best interest to put her to rest. It was the most heart wrenching decision we had ever made.
My world will never be the same without Abby in it. I will miss her every day for the rest of my life. When Abby passed on that day, she took a piece of my heart with her. As I try to move on without my best friend, I feel that I am a better person for having loved Abby. She was not just a pet. She was a loyal companion who showed me how to live simply, and love unconditionally. She taught me that at the end of the day, all that really matters is a good meal, a walk in the park, and being with those you love.
Forever in our hearts,
Mommy (Barbara) Eric & Tara
