Farewell Little Katy

16 years ago, my wife, who was very concerned about our younger daughter's finger sucking (she would suck all of her fingers, one at a time) and how it could damage the development of her teeth and her jaw, asked her if she would stop sucking her fingers if we got a dog (my daughter loved dogs and my wife refused to let me bring one). That night my daughter stopped sucking her fingers and I immediately called my father in the US to pick up a Westie (West Highland White Terrier - I have had Westies for over 50 years) for them to bring to us in Israel the following month when they would be coming to visit. That is how our little Katy came to us. 

She was small, even for a Westie, but that was quite appropriate, as my daughter was also very small (we discovered a few years later that she had growth hormone deficiency and got shots for it every night for 7 years). Katy was a bundle of joy and we discovered very early on that she was an incredibly gentle and sensitive puppy. Although she did do some minor damage at the beginning as all puppies do, she meshed so beautifully with the family and became an integral part of our home.

When we would go on long vacations, Katy stay with our friends to be in 'Summer Camp'. They had many cats and Katy would love to play with them. Even in her old age and with difficulty hearing, if we said 'Cat' to her, it would get her to look around and want to run towards a cat; not to do it harm, but to play with it. Each time we came home from vacation and entered the house, it didn't feel like home until we picked up Katy and brought her from our friends.

Two days ago, we had to say goodbye to this beautiful soul. She was 15 and 9 months and lived a wonderful life. About 6 or 7 years ago, we discovered a small lump near one of her nipples. The vet removed it and had it biopsied. It was malignant but the vet didn't think we needed to do anything about it as it was very small and localized and thought we may have caught it in time. Over the years, we would find, on average another lump per year and have it removed. It was very simple and minor surgery each time and Katy never even needed general anesthetic. She would get a shot that would make her woozy and that was enough. That was typical of Katy. She was the easiest going dog I have ever had. Katy never exhibited any other problems and the cancer growth was very slow and at her advanced age, the probability of it continuing to be slow growth was good. 

About 2 weeks ago, she was having difficulty breathing. I was out of the country and my wife and daughter took her to the vet who saw, under ultrasound, fluids in her chest cavity. She drained them and recommended that we take her the next day to the major veterinary hospital, which they did. There, they drained more fluids and saw a cancerous tumor in her stomach. The fluids in her chest were due to the cancer spreading in her body. I was now at home but in 2 week quarantine due to Corona regulations here. I spoke to the attending doctor and we agreed that putting her through surgery or chemo at this stage of her life was not the right thing to do and we should monitor her breathing and drain the fluids as they build up. The doctors at the hospital were absolutely amazed by Katy's demeanor and condition, considering her age and medical situation. She was eating every day, drinking, urinating and defecating as always. They could see in those few hours that Katy was such a special dog. He went out of his way to tell my wife and also to me on the phone, how all the staff who encountered her saw how special she was.

Throughout the years, Katy was a full member of the family, going with us to many places and enjoying life. When my mother died, Katy sensed that I wasn't myself and stayed next to me constantly knowing that I needed comforting. She would do this with all of us whenever one of us was having a hard time. She knew, she felt it and she was able to show her amazing empathy.

If she got hurt in any way, she would give out a small cry, she would then lick us as though she was apologizing to us for getting hurt. If we blew on her ear, she would lick our faces, so we blew on her ear a lot. My wife, who didn't grow up with a pet, loved when Katy would sit on the sofa with her and lick her legs. She would pull down her sock or pull up her pant leg just so Katy would lick. Katy was so easy going and pliable, we could hold her in any position and there she would stay. Our favorite and hers was be held on her back so we could rub her belly while holding her. And throughout all her years, she would come running to any one of us but stop a short distance before and roll over on her back so we would come the rest of the distance and rub her belly.

When Katy was about 10, her life became very sedentary and I heard that bringing a puppy to an older dog caused them to 'be young' again. So, we brought home another Westie, and named her Krembo (an Israeli snack that is white and fluffy inside and chocolate on the outside). At first, Katy resented the interloper. After all, she had her kingdom to herself for 10 years, but Krembo didn't let up. She wanted very much to play with Katy and after about a week, Katy gave in. They were the best of buddies and Krembo really did make Katy feel young again. She would run and play with Krembo in the house and in the garden. It was such fun to see and also very funny. Unfortunately, at the age of 2.5, we discovered that Krembo was born with a birth defect, kidney dysplasia where both of her kidneys didn't form and what little there was, just stopped functioning. Krembo died shortly thereafter and Katy was heartbroken, as were we all. It took time for Katy to come back to herself, but she did and was the loving, sensitive Katy that she always was.

We brought another Westie home, Mushu . Mushu also wanted to play with Katy but Mushu played much more aggressively and it didn't fit our Katy's sensitive nature and she was also 3 years older. They didn't play as much as Katy did with Krembo but they became very caring sisters. Whenever we took one to the vet or to be groomed and the other was at home, the puppy at home was very restless until the other came back.

On Sunday, Katy was having some difficulty breathing and was wheezing. My wife and daughter immediately took her to the vet and she drained the fluids in her chest. The draining of the fluids last week only lasted 5 days. Katy came home and it took her longer than normal to come back to herself after the anesthetic, but she did. She ate, she drank, she pooped and peed. Her breathing was still a bit labored but she was herself. We knew that the situation wasn't going to get better and checked her breathing all the time and we would wake up in the middle of the night as well during this last week.

On Tuesday, just as we were sitting down to eat lunch, we saw that Katy was in distress. Her breathing was much more labored and we saw that she wasn't getting enough oxygen. We immediately called the vet  but she wasn't available and said she would call us back. In hindsight, it was very fortuitous that she was available. Otherwise, Katy would have died in the car on the way to the vet. Instead, Katy wanted to go outside to the garden, She laid down next to the bench and was having a lot of difficulty breathing. We understood that these were her last minutes with us. My daughter and I laid down next to her, petting her, comforting her, talking to her to help ease her way. She just looked at us lovingly as she breathed her last breaths. She died so peacefully which was fitting as she lived so peacefully. 

My younger daughter, unfortunately wasn't with us at home. She is in the air force and, with the closure in the country due to Corona, hadn't been home in 2 weeks. My wife called her so she could be with us and Katy in her last minutes. It was incredibly hard for her, not that any of this was easy for any of us. As Katy died and all of us were crying, my daughter's friends heard all of this happening and immediately went to her commanding officer asking if he could let her come home. He is a super sweet guy and a great commanding officer. He immediately arranged it and my wife went to get her (about 1.5 hour drive). During this time, my older daughter and I stayed on the grass laying next to Katy and stroking her. She looked like she was sleeping and was so peaceful. We stayed like that the entire time until my daughter came home. Because Katy looked so peaceful, I thought it was the right thing for my daughter to see her and also lie next to her in order to say goodbye. So, when she did come home, she saw Katy lying there and immediately burst into tears. At first, she couldn't even look at her but then saw what we saw, our wonderful, sensitive little girl lying on the grass looking so very peaceful and then laid next to her as we did. We all stayed like that for another hour until it got dark and together went to bury her behind our home. After that, we sat together and reminisced about the almost 16 years with our little doll. Thankfully, we have so many wonderful memories of Katy and so many pictures. When going through the pictures of my phone, I was amazed at just how many pictures I have of her and didn't even realize just how often I would take a picture of her and her sister.

We are ever so grateful that Katy didn't suffer and went so peacefully but losing her has left us broken and missing her so deeply. We are grateful that we had her in our lives for this period of time and that she so enriched our family. 

Ever since Katy was a puppy, I would say that I had many dogs in my life but none with the personality and character of Katy. She was truly special and we will forever remember her and cherish the goodness she bestowed upon us.