This one's for you, Ferg

It's been a Hell of a week. We knew this day was coming... we just thought we had more time. 

About this time last year, we started noticing some lumps on Ferg. After a diagnosis, some were just fatty tumors, but the ones in her neck were lymphoma. She was 10. The life expectancy of a boxer is 10-12... we gambled and started treatment - which was 6 months of chemo. It was tough on her but we saw immediate results - so we saw the treatment through. In November, she was in remission. Even her monthly check-up in January had a status of "perfect health!!!" 

However, a few weeks ago, we felt the knots again. They were really small - but we knew and agreed we would not be putting her back through treatment - if it came back, we would do the compassionate thing and we would say good-bye. We honestly thought we had at least a couple of months. The knots continued growing, but she was eating, drinking, and acting like her normal self... until Friday night.

She wouldn't eat her bedtime biscuits (in the past year, we really elevated the level of spoiling on the girl, knowing our time with her was coming to the end). Bedtime biscuits, post-walk biscuits, just-because biscuits. Saturday was terrible. She wasn't interested in her morning walk, she wouldn't eat treats or even wet food. She would just stand over her water bowl, but wouldn't drink. She was lethargic and had lost all personality. While we had an oncology appointment on Monday - we couldn't watch her suffer, so we made the call to visit the emergency clinic. There, we got confirmation she was no longer in remission and the initial exam led them to believe the cancer had spread to her spleen and her liver. It was time to say good-bye. So, this blog is for her. Our girl of over 11 years. She's lived in 5 houses, 2 states, said good-bye to Lucy and hello to Nora. She was beautiful and bratty and sweet. It's weird to not have a dog in the house. I've had one for 20 years... Farmer and I don't know our life without a pet. It's really weird. 

These were the first pictures we ever saw of her... before we met and adopted her.

Riding to her new home in Daddy's lap.

She was a hoot. She was a TERRIBLE puppy. She was so dang stubborn (a trait that carried her to the end).

Making the drive to Oklahoma

Before she ate the couch.

Her first snow.

Her favorite resting place. 

Welcoming Nora home.

Sweet dreams, Ferg.