Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Lacie

Barbara K. Armstrong
Senior Paralegal
My husband and I adopted our sweet beagle, Lacie, over 12 years ago.  We fell in love with her picture first and when she met us, she put her little head in my husband’s lap and that was all it took.   She was coming home with us.

As the years have gone by, Lacie has seen it all.  She’s seen our children grow up and move out of the home.  She has witnessed a couple of marriages in our backyard, not to mention plenty of cookouts with friends and family.  She has seen new little faces added to the family.  She’s been so much a part of our family that it goes without saying that everyone loves her and looks for her when they come over if she hasn’t already come to greet them.

Recently, I noticed Lacie was behaving strangely.  She was having trouble walking, which at first, I thought was due to her nails needing a fresh cut. But as the morning wore on, she was walking in and out of the house and she was very restless.  I realized something was truly wrong when she had her nose poked out the door, not moving and her eyes were moving side to side at an alarming rate.   I had to take her to the vet.

The vet came in and with the initial exam said it was most likely vertigo or vestibular disease due to an inner ear infection.  She was given a couple of shots, ear medicine and put on motion sickness medication and sent home.  

The next few days were rough as we had to carry her everywhere.  After about a week she became more confident in her walking and we have been able to take her for short walks in the neighborhood.  We thought that she would come through this with little to no complication.  

Well, we discovered that she is now completely deaf.  Poor thing!  This was a realization that Lacie will not be around forever.   We obviously knew she wouldn’t but the years go by so fast and before you know it, you have a senior in the family.

As our Lacie gets older, we know that one day she won’t be with us anymore and that there will be a big empty place in our hearts.   Anyone that loves a pet knows that they are a part of the family and their loss is great.  For now, we will enjoy our girl for as long as we can until we know we cannot anymore