Lucy: 1998-2009

In Memory of Lucy

On Saturday December 26th, 2009, the day after Christmas, my roommate and I had been out running errands and came home around 4pm. The dogs were acting normally, and went out to take care of business. I gave them each a treat, checked something on the deck, and went inside to get something to bring out to wipe them down with.

When I came back out, Lucy was making very slow, long, panting breaths (not choking, though) on the ground, sitting upright. She tried to stand and barely did it, and then wobbled over the center of the yard and stood for a few seconds. She then laid down, and rolled over on one side. I went inside to call the after-hours emergency pet clinic while Richard went outside to see what was wrong with her. To make what is a long story short, over the course of the next 2-3 minutes, her breathing became more and more shallow, and she quickly passed away, with Richard at her side.

The only way to be 100% certain of the cause of Lucy's death would have been to have had her taken to a Veterinary school 90 miles away and to have an dog autopsy (necropsy) done on her. After going over some details with Vets on the phone, while they would not give a diagnosis or opinion on cause of death (understandable), they did feel it was natural and not due to anyone doing anything to her (poison, etc). Since she was watched by myself either through the open door or kitchen window during the entire time she was outside those few minutes, there's no way it was due to anyone doing anything bad to her.

While Lucy was 12, she was seemingly in perfect health on the outside, but according to more research I've done, and now having talked to a friend's son who is a Veterinarian today, it appears that large breed dogs of her size/stature/age, commonly do die from variations of things that could be a result of a condition called "dialated cardiomyopathy", or similar issues. In layman's terms, most likely it was a heart attack or stroke, and while she appeared healthy, it's actually a common way for dogs of her age to pass - even healthy appearing dogs.

We have been told that if there is any such thing as luck from an event like this, it's that we arrived at the right time. Had we been a few minutes later, we likely would have found her already passed in the home. Slightly earlier, and I may have taken her on a walk and she may have passed halfway through it, in the street. At least in terms of timing, for HER, it was the best time to pass, as it was at home, happy to see everyone, in her own yard, and with those who loved her at her side - and quickly, in no lingering pain. While there was no right time for US for this type of thing to happen, for her, it was ideal, and the scenario could have been much worse. She now is resting peacefully in the corner of the yard, in a special spot I reserved for her, and hard as it is to think about, her two sisters who are also around 12 who eventually will join her.

I can't relay how hard it is to have something like this happen unexpectedly. Lucy was like a child to me - smarter than most dogs I had ever run across, and everyone who spent time with her would comment how human-like she was... even people who admitted they were not "dog people". She will be remembered for as long as I live, and missed until the day I too, pass over.

You may click her photo above to see a larger version.