RIP Izzy

This post is hard to write. Izzy was a really good dog. She was always there...literally always at your feet or sitting on your lap. She was MY dog...even though Max would argue that Izzy was his dog. I still remember the day I picked her out at the breeder and brought her home. There are so many good stories of Izzy. I seriously could go on and on about how sweet and awesome she was. That's why it's so hard to write my goodbye to her. It was definitely a hard decision to make, but it was also the right decision and an unselfish one. We made the decision to put Izzy down on Tuesday because she has been in a lot of pain for the past 6 months. We had plenty of vet visits and different medications to try. We tried all of them and even went the route of CBD oil. The CDB oil actually helped and gave her 2 months of being pain free until that couldn't help her anymore. The vet believes she had a tumor in her spine. This caused her much pain in her back and any sudden movements made her cry out loud. It got to the point of anytime she would get up she would cry really loud and she even had tears. That's when we knew it was time to let her go and be free of pain in doggie heaven.



This was definitely a hard decision. Were we making it at the right time? Did we do everything we could? These questions, and more, is what went through my head. We spent a lot of time this past weekend giving Izzy lots of hugs and love. Andy even slept with her on the floor a couple nights. Tuesday came quick and we had someone come to the house to do it since it would be the most comfortable for Izzy. By the way, I would highly recommend this approach because it was the most comfortable for everyone. Plus, Madison was home and was able to see that Izzy has passed away. That way she's not looking for her and wondering where she is.


The lady that came to the house is a saint. I don't know how she does this for a living. I can't imagine that being my job. She's good at her job though. The whole process took 30 minutes and I will never forget that 30 minutes. It's kind of burned in my brain now.


After all was said and done we cried and then Andy went to pick Max up at school. Max said his goodbye in the morning and we didn't think it would be appropriate for him to be home during the process. We have read a couple books to Max that grandma L has sent us. It helped explain cat/dog heaven to Max and he asked questions. He's pretty sad about it though; however, he's already talking about the next puppy. I think that's his way of dealing with his grief. We will get another dog eventually, just not for a while. Andy and I are pretty sad over the loss of Izzy and we are not ready to get another dog. Izzy is just a dog that you can't replace.


Now that Izzy is gone it's pretty empty in our house. We don't have Captain or Izzy. You don't realize the impact an animal has on your life until they are gone. I am definitely guilty of taking Izzy for granted. I was just always used to having her around. I never thought about her not being there. Now that she is gone there is just a huge void in the house. It's pretty quiet...way too quiet. Madison is still hanging in there. She's 11 years old, so she's pretty old for a big dog, but the vet said she's healthy and we will have her for another year or so unless something unforeseen happens.

Rest in Peace Izzy! You truly are a one-of-a-kind dog!