Key...who we called "Key Largo"...anxiously awaiting something yummy to fall off the grill, a couple summers ago.
Missy and Megan...this picture makes me laugh...it seems that the sun is out and bright, every time we take pictures in my dad's backyard, so in every picture someone is squinting!
It has been a tough couple days for the Slater and Temple families...within a day of each other, my Dad lost his sweet Missy and we had to let our greyhound Key go. It was a huge blow for the families.
My Mom and Dad adopted Missy when we were stationed in Petaluma...I think almost 12 years ago. From the get go, she was their little princess. She went on errands with them and became quite spoiled. When my Mom passed away, my Dad became the spoiler. He did a great job too....he was diligent about her vet visits and "spa days"...and always made sure she had a selection of treats. He got her groomed in the cutest style, she looked like a little golden bear cub. She always barked when the mail arrived...or anyone else for that matter. She would roll on her back to make sure everyone who entered the house knew to rub her belly. She would smother you with kisses if you let her. She could be a little monster, but she did it as cute as possible. We knew the end was near, Dad had taken her to the vet...and they said her kidneys were failing. She slipped away quietly in her sleep...just like a little lady should.
As Dad told me about Missy, I was calling him to tell him we needed to take Key to the vet to see what was up with his leg. When Key ran his last race (as a professional racer) his rear hock was shattered...and not repaired right away. He later had surgery to fix the damage, but his leg healed in a way that left it a little misshaped. One rainy day earlier this month, Key slipped. He limped just a little bit...but he always favored that leg...so at first we thought we would let him go a couple days. Key took his role of holding down the couch very seriously, and even with a sore leg hopped on and off the couch...on Thursday he got his foot caught in the cushions and yelped. My heart sunk....I have heard that yelp before. Thankfully Susan had some doggie meds and we could keep him comfortable while waiting for his appointment on Saturday morning. Key barely moved all day Friday.
Saturday morning comes, and Lee and I head to the vet with our sweet Key Largo...praying it was just a bad sprain. It was not....Key had osteosarcoma. Cancer in his bad leg....as soon as we saw the xray the vet did not have to even explain it to us...we had seen that xray before. When bone cancer is found in greyhounds...it is usually already spread to other places...the vet was convinced by how Key was breathing it was already in his lungs and likely elsewhere. We knew what we had to do....so we held our big sweet boy as he ran his last race. We came home brokenhearted....then there was a HUGE clap of thunder (thunder is kind of rare here) and Lee said Key had made his entrance in to Heaven, and he was running fast and free.
So, our house has been a little quiet...I catch myself still pushing things around on the counter...to make sure Key can't hop up and steal stuff. I miss a nose nudging my hand as I make something...and trying to steal my bread when I am not looking.
I bet in doggie Heaven, Key is chasing Missy, hoping she will play and she will have no part in it!
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