it was such a busy day today from first thing this morning with dixie's arrival to the last visitors leaving at 430 and then barn bedtime too. there is so much that gets packed into a day here that it is easy to just bunch everything together...but somethings, like the end of a life, need to stand alone.
when prince came up from california..he was totally destroyed. that little ancient body of his was wrecked in every way. but prince had a strength inside that so very frail little body, he had the will to live. i just cannot imagine him running as a stray on the streets of LA..how did he possibly survive? and given how very sick he was..how did he make it out of a high kill shelter alive?
but prince did, because of the caring shelter staff, because of ace of hearts rescue in LA, and because of saints in mission bc..prince got to live for a little while longer with a healthier heart, in a kinder place. it wasn't his heart that gave out on him this week, the vet said his heart sounded pretty good...this time it was his kidneys that gave way. the diuretics he needed so badly to keep the fluid out of his lungs, was an eventual death sentence to his ancient kidneys.
i can sit here and wonder about what is the point of saving a little and elderly sick dog from 3000 miles away and bringing him here to die several months later anyway. but i am not wondering about it at all. prince spent the last months of his life either curled up on my bed or on a comfy bed in front of the fire. we held him while he ate to make sure he had enough and his belly never felt empty again. i remember how much he gorged on the dry food when he first came in...he ate til he puked for the first few days. here he had the best of the canned food..merricks was his most favorite of all. he had the medications he needed to be able to breathe and feel comfortable. he had a warm body who loved him dearly to curl up against almost every night and he had the care and compassion of our staff and volunteers during every day. this was the last part of his very long life. the little prince did not die on the streets of LA. his frail little body was not laid to rest in some overflowing dead shelter bin. he died thoughtfully, carefully, lovingly because today was the day that he himself, needed release from the burden of a very long life.
rest in peace little prince, we are so glad that you came.
what a dear little face. <3<3<3