Saying Goodbye...

Three weeks ago we said goodbye to a dear family member...one of our furry family members. My sweet little chihuahua, Paisley, has found a new home! Over four years ago (just a couple of months before Landon was born) Paisley had a really bad pancreatitis attack that landed her in the vet hospital for a few days on IV medications. She came through like a champ and recovered very well. However, ever since then she has had a few other similar attacks. The two biggest things that her vet said can trigger these attacks are diet and stress. I must admit I used to feed her people food on a regular basis...which I now know is a big no-no! We changed her diet, but unfortunately there was little we could do about her stress level. Let's face it, Paisley is NOT a kid-friendly dog and I just know her blood pressure shot up everytime we brought another baby home. Our children are too young to understand how to be gentle with a very tiny and fragile 3 lb. dog. Not to mention she didn't want anything to do with them. So, much of my time was spent trying to keep them separated. With a third little boy coming soon I knew it was time to look for other options. This past spring I attempted a search for a new home for her. I had several people interested but when it came down to it I just wasn't ready to let her go. I felt guilty, as if I were forcing her to leave the only people she's known since she was 8 weeks old. But I also felt selfish. I knew she was attached to us (and I was obviously attched to her), but I also knew we could not provide the best environment for her to stay healthy. And, she is 9 years old and will only get more fragile as the years go on. I attempted a second search about 6 weeks ago. We had a few more calls and eventually found someone who I feel is giving her a wonderful, loving and much more laid-back environment. And thankfully, they have been great about updating us on how she is doing! She is missed dearly but we feel this was the best decision for her and our family at this time!