Your Pet Loss Stories

by Elyse
(Washington, PA)

On April 1, 1999, a litter of puppies was born. Their mother was a an Akita and their father a Saint Bernard. Five weeks later, the mother was in poor health and her puppies were literally sapping the life out of her. I was 11 years old then and my mother, stepfather, and I came to pick out a puppy.

I chose the smallest one, the runt. We named her Cody but often called her Codrith Nicole. She was a chubby puppy and very playful. We lived in the country so she had all the room she needed to roam. When inside, we often played hide-and-seek together. However, she loved being outside. We always called her the April Fools Puppy.

A few years later, we were no longer living on the farm and had instead taken residence in a trailer in town. Unfortunately, in 2003, it caught on fire and she suffered from severe smoke inhalation. The vet warned us that she probably wouldn't live. But Cody was a lucky dog. Though she would live out the rest of her life with a constant cough, she survived.

With age, Cody grew fat and lazy. She still enjoyed being outside, spending warm, breezy days in the backyard chewing on a stick or a rawhide. Her health was declining noticeably. She didn't want to play often and she didn't always get up in the morning with the rest of the household. But her appetite stayed the same. She would announce every day that it was 4:30, her dinner time. It was impossible to forget.

Finally, in January 2010, Cody became sick. The vet said she had a urinary tract infection, a sinus infection, and fluid in her stomach. He gave her some medication and said that she should be fine. But as the days progressed, so did her illness. Another talk with the doctor confirmed that she had cancer. He offered to refer us to an animal clinic where they could properly run tests, but he warned that it would be very expensive and, in his professional opinion, he doubted there was any chance of saving her.

Cody died early January 19, 2010. She was 10 years old. Her death was sudden and unexpected and the house feels empty without her. She will always live on fondly in our memories.