Last Friday was the beginning of the end of a loving relationship between my pup (Yorkshire terrier) and me. Keokie, my pup of 12 years was diagnosed last Friday with kidney disease and the Doctors thought he would live for another month; the doctors were wrong. Keokie progress worsened and within 2 days, my husband and I had to put Keokie to sleep. The decision of putting Keokie to sleep was tremendously difficult, for Keokie was my baby before I had my babies. The doctors diagnosed Keokie with kidney disease when he was 2 years of age. The doctors put him on a special kidney formula dog food. The doctors said this will either give Keokie 5 more years to live or you will lose him. I was very lucky that the dog food worked, for I had Keokie 10 more years.
I acquired my Keokie from a breeder at the dog show here in Greeley, CO and it was love at first sight. Keokie’s eyes and my eyes met; Keokie ran to me and greeted me with a lot of licks and a lot of tail wagging. The breeder couldn’t believe that Keokie left her side; which Keokie had never done. I picked up Keokie and brought him back to her. I conversed with the breeder and inquired if he was for sale. The breeder said no, for he belonged to her husband. I was stricken with sadness, for I knew there was something special about Keokie. I couldn’t place it, but I knew he belonged with me. I went back the next day to ask if the breeder could check with her husband and see if he would sell Keokie to me. The breeder informed probably not, but she would check with him, so she called him. To the breeder’s surprise her husband thought if Keokie took such a shine to me the first time we met, Keokie should be with me. Also the husband of the breeder wanted Keokie to go to a good home, and if the breeder thought Keokie wanted to go with me then Keokie should. The breeder wanted to make sure Keokie would go with me, so she tested him one more time. If Keokie ran to me without me calling him then she would sell him to me. The breeder took Keokie out from behind the fence, and put him down on the ground. I turned my back on Keokie, and to my enjoyment he remembered me, and again ran to me, and greeted me with little licks and tail wagging. I looked at the breeder and asked her “Is he mine?” She said “yes!” I cried as I said hello to my new pup, and last Friday I cried when I said goodbye to pup.
Bernadette Lucero