My Sister Princess, The Best First Dog I Could Ever Have.

Chapter 5: Not some April Fools Day Joke.

On April 1, 2008, my mom told me something that I thought was a joke.She had told me that she thought that Princess did not look very well. Since it was April Fools Day I did not believe her at first. I said "Your trying to pull an April Fools day joke on me mom and it will not work" she then tells me that she is not joking around. She said that Princess had thrown up on the carpet. I knew then and there that something was wrong.

My mom and I took Princess to the vet to find out what was wrong. I drove while mom was holding Princess in a blanket. We left her at the vets until closing time. Doctor Nelson Haden our vet came out to use saying that he suspected that Princess had developed Pancreatitis. He then explains to us what the word meant. He tells us that it means that her pancreas was inflamed. She was very sick. He then showed us an X-ray. In this X-ray he points to something that he says to him looks like a small mass or possible cancer near her pancreas.

My mom and I took her back and forth to the vets office. The vet had put an I.V. in her front paw. When we first brought her home after the vet had put the catheter in, the vet had placed a hard plastic lampshade for dogs around her head so that she could not pull the catheter out. She hated that lampshade. I felt bad for her when I saw it on her.

Ten days passed while my mom and I where taking Princess back and forth to the Dr. Nelson Haden's office. Princess was released on Thursday April 10, 2008. She seamed to be feeling better, no lampshade and catheter, or so my mom and I thought. That night Princess Chased two squirrels around the fenced-in backyard. She also ran several laps around the whole fenced-in backyard just for fun. She came into the house all excited and pranced around the house one last time to make sure everything was ok.

That night my family and I went to bed thinking that all our troubles were over. Little did we know, that the next morning, which was a friday morning, Princess would once again, become very ill. That day my family and I would be taking Princess to the vets office for the last time and saying our goodbyes to our beloved pet and family member.

The next Morning came, and my mother went to unzip Princess Canvas crate and went to feed her the new specially designed caned dog food. Princess ate a little bit of her food and then stopped. She refused to drink any water from her water bowel. She also refused to eat the rest of her food. She went to her favorite spot under the in-table and hid. My mom tried to call her out from under the in-table, but Princess did not move an inch. My mother and I tried calling her two move times.

We showed and offered Princess her favorite cat toy, but she just would not come out from under that in-table. My mom suggested to me that I try ringing the door bell. I go ring the door bell three times. The ringing of the door bell usually always worked, but not this time. My mom and I looked at each other and we both knew something was terribly wrong. Princess would normally come running and barking every time the door bell would ring. This time however she did not move a muscle, she did however bark two times.

I decided to be brave and risk my fingers by trying to pull her out. I went down on my knees and then grabbed her two front paws. I dragged her out from under the in-table. she did not snare, try to bite me, or refuse to come out. It was as if she was trying to tell us that she was not feeling well and that it was her time to go. My mom called the vet and told them what Princess had done and that we thought that something was terribly wrong with Princess. The vet tells us to bring her in and they would run more test.

Doctor Nelson Haden was out of the office that day so his other Vet, Doctor Feola, observed Princess that day. My dad had given the vet office his cell phone number so that if there was any change in Princess the Vet office could give us a call and be able to reach us. Around Lunch time My mom and dad asked me what I wanted to do for lunch. I told them that I wanted Chinese Food from the Chinese play neer where I worked.

I loved going there because they had Crab Meat Fried Rice. That was my favorite food there other than the sweet and sour chicken and pork. We went there and had lunch. I had ordered my usual favorite of Sweet and Sour Chicken with Crab meat fried rice, and a bowl of Egg drop soup. My father and mother had Sesame Chicken with Pork meat fried rice. this is one of their favorites. While we were eating we disgust that if we herd that Princess was not doing any better that we would let her be at peace by putting her down.

The phone rang as we were leaving the Chinese restaurant. There was a bench out side of the restaurant. We sat down and heard the news about Princess. Doctor Feola was on the phone when my dad answered. It looks like Princess is becoming dehydrated even with the fluids from her IV Doctor Feola says. It also seams to me as if Princess's body has given up the will to live Doctor Feola added. I am sorry that the news is not better.

My father told him about our decision. The vet office kept her collar so that I could keep it to remember her by. I remember that I cried the rest of that day and as well as the next two days straight. She would have been fourteen years old on July 16 of that year, or so we were told and choose the date to be. After We left the restaurant I went four doors down to where I worked. I worked at Lowes Foods grocery store at that time.

I went in to get my schedule and pay check for the week before. When I entered the store I headed to the customer service counter. My favorite co-worker, Martina, was working that day. I went up to her and asked her for my check and to see the schedule for the week coming up. Our weeks started on Sunday and went to saturday. I was scheduled to come in the next Saturday for a night siff. I was going to be a closing bagger that night and stay until 11:00 pm. I remember the schedule well, because I used to hate working that late on a Saturday.

After I checked my schedule I told her about Princess and that we had just had to put her down after having her for almost fourteen years. Wow she says that is a long life for a dog. I guess I said crying. Martina came around from the desk and gave me a hug and told me that everything would be ok, and that I will always have her with me in my heart. She also said that she was sorry to hear the news about Princess. That helped me stop crying for a little bit.

After we got my schedule, my mom and I dropped my dad off at his piano tuning job, and went to the mall to try and help keep our minds off Princess. Before we got to the mall, My mom and I call a very close family friend, Missy Godfrey. Missy is a church friend that I have knowen for all of my life. She was one of the first people to meet me when I was brought home from Kansas after being adopted. She is like a second/third mom to me. (Being adopted, I do actually have two moms. My adopted mother,whom I call my real mom, and my biological mother/birth mom.) Missy sat in the church Choir with me. She loved Princess as much as we did. At the mall, I found several new items that I had been wanting. It cheered me up a little, but I still was very upset. To me it felt like there was a hole in my heart that would be hard to fix.

That night, after we had put Princess to sleep, I went over to my next door neighbors house to try to keep my mind off the loss of Princess. Before I went over I called my friend Amanda, who would be coming over to my house that next monday after Princess death. I explained to her that my family and I had to be put Princess to sleep that day so that on Monday when she came over she would not look for her and wonder where she was. She told me that she was sorry for my loss. She also asked me if there was anything that she could do for me. I told her, "Just being my friend and caring about me is enough for her to do."

I finally head over to My backdoor neighbors house after that. I told my neighbor and her daughter about Princess and we all had a good cry. She then offered for me to spend the night with them instead going home that night to a home with out a dog. She thought that I might rest better that way. I called my parents and they told me that i could.

What will happen that night? will I cry all night? Will I do something in memory of her that night? Find out in the next Chapter.......
Chapter 6: The night we lost Princess and the days leading up to the new puppy.