Sheeba (11-9-09)

by Kelli Frahm
(Nebraska)

Not only my dog, but my Best Friend. My poodle/Lasapoo was the best dog anyone could EVER ask for. She was 15 and was put down due to kidney failure. Here's our story....

Sheeba, my 15 year old dog. It's almost been 2 years. It seems like just yesterday. I have a TON of memories that I could talk for hours about. So here are a few.

1.) Jumping off the end of the deck.
The second the back door opened, Sheeba would fly out the door and off the end of the deck. She'd pounce so hard she'd land out about 3 feet. As she got older, she wouldn't jump off anymore, she would walk.

2.) Pictures.
It's almost as if she were photogenic. She loved getting her picture taken. All the time, when I'd bring my camera out to get a picture of her being her cute self, she'd look up and flash a big smile.

3.) The Tongue.
Whether it be sleeping or walking around, Sheeba's tongue would always stick out at least a half inch. If I walked by her kennel and she was sleeping, I'd notice the end of her little pink tongue hanging out, then when it'd dry out a little bit she'd pull it back in for a break.

4.) Ruth Baker.
Ruth was Sheeba's groomer. We'd take her to Ruth every once in a while for a haircut and a bath. When I'd pick her up from Ruth's house, she'd always have cute little bows (usually pink) in each ear, and she'd be the best smelling dog on the block. When I'd grab Sheeba's leash to bring her to Ruth's, I'd always take the same route. She knew EXACTLY where she was going and was super excited to get 2 new bows.

Then there was the night it all happened, My parents and I were at a wedding reception. When we got home, there was throw-up everywhere in the house. Something was definitely wrong with Sheeba. We thought she was just sick, but Mom had the feeling when she brought her to the vet the next day that it was going to be bad news.

Sure enough, when I went to school the next morning, Mom took her to the vet and received bad news. My principal got me out of class and told me to meet my mom out front. I got to the car and my sister and Mom were sitting in the front seats crying. I knew right away what was happening. Kidney failure, my older sister said to me. So we had only a few hours left with Sheeba at the house.

I sat on the living room floor with her in her little dog bed and spent the time that I had left with her. When the time came, my sister, Mom and I took her to the vet. We were all sitting in the room with her as the Vet started to push the liquid into her arm. I couldn't watch, but I looked up as she slowly started to fall down.

I looked into her eyes... and she winked at me.

11/9/09 <3 R.I.P. Sheeba. You are missed.