Today marks the second anniversary of my heart transplant. We are traveling to California to spend Mother’s Day with Tom’s mom. I will spend most of the car-ride thinking about my donor and her family. As I celebrate, they are remembering a very sad time. I pray that my spirit can, in some way, communicate to them how deeply I appreciate their gift to me.
For several years Mary Lou has been visiting the PETSMART grooming center every six weeks for a special Spa Day - mani, pedi, hair style, etc. About a year ago, the witch who manages the joint informed me that M.L. was no longer welcome because her shots weren’t current. My vet and I are in total agreement that very old dogs should not be given any immunizations. All their bodily systems get very fragile as they age, and injecting them with anything foreign isn’t a great idea. I tried to explain this easily-understood concept to the groomer nazi, but was told that NO EXCEPTIONS WOULD BE MADE. After respectfully shouting into the phone, “Kiss my tail - you nazi, groomer witch.” I slammed down the receiver and gently tried to explain to Mary Lou that we would need to find someone else to help her with her beauty needs.
Mary Lou and I started doing extensive research and interviewing. We finally found Tina, who is a mobile groomer. We toured her truck and had her fill out several employment questionnaires. She and Mary Lou seemed to have an instant rapport. So we set up a grooming schedule and shook hands on the deal.
Mary Lou had a Spa Day today and things didn’t go very well. Tina knocked on the door about 10 minutes into the session, and told me that M.L. had just had a seizure. I went out to the truck. The seizure was over, but Mary Lou couldn’t use her hind legs. After about 15 minutes, she recovered enough to continue her bath. When Tina walked M.L. into the house at the end of her Spa Day, she told me that she had discovered two more size-able tumors on my doggie-girl’s body. She said that she thought we should probably start preparing ourselves to say ”Goodbye” to our beloved Mary Lou. I really trust Tina’s knowledge and judgement. She had tears in her eyes as we talked.
Please say a prayer and think peaceful thoughts for our Mary Lou. Pray that her last days are filled with painless play, lots of love from her humans, and an endless supply of doggie cookies. While you’re at it, say a prayer that we will have the strength and wisdom to know when it’s time to let her go.
