The lovely lady named Silver Frost
Is charming beyond compare.
With dappled fur, and a fine physique
And countenance, oh so rare.
Her Irish smile will sure make you grin
T’will elevate the mood that you’re in.
My elegant pearl, my beautiful girl, my Frosty
My elegant pearl, my silly old girl, my Frosty.
Frosty visibly brightened when I sang it for her. She knew it was all about her and she loved it. I still hum it a lot but it’s harder with the lump in my throat.
We assisted our elegant old girl to the Rainbow Bridge last Saturday - because that’s part of the bargain.
When Brent and I adopt hounds we promise them comfort and safety and lots of love. Freedom from pain, trauma and suffering is also part of the deal. Thus we made the decision to release her last Saturday, just two week after her cancer diagnosis was confirmed. Her frailty was more and more evident with each passing day, her tumors were visibly larger, the risk of a traumatic event loomed large and it was clearly time to honor the heart breaking part of the promise.
It was a peaceful departure for her. We had pancakes, her favorite breakfast, and then we spent an hour on the deck in the sun together. Her final ride in the car was just as joyful for her as all the others had been. Her vet, Dr. Joe, is a wonderful man she knew and trusted. She was lying comfortably on a soft cushion, Brent and I touching her, crooning our deep gratitude for the 4 short years we had together.
We felt the vastness of her absence the moment her heart stopped. It seemed our own hearts paused companionably for a few moments to accompany her and then took up their rhythm again once she was safely across. Now we are left to reconfigure the balance of our family with our beautiful memories of Frosty and all she taught us.
Thank you, Frosty, for insisting that you were mine and persistently demanding to be included on that Colorado haul. Thank you for your beautiful smile that greeted us with each new day. Thank you for the snuggles on the couch and your clear expectation that the spot right next to Brent was for you and his lap was exclusively yours.
Thank you for the delightful games of tag around the island in the kitchen ; for your deep throated bark that told me the game was on; for your silly puppy romp and yip when you saw my car turning in the driveway; for the secrets that only you and I shared.
Thank you, too, dear Dutchess, for being such a fine ambassador for your breed. Many hounds now have families of their own, thanks to those huge brown eyes that drew people to you like a magnet, that made them look really close, that made them long for your kind of love in their lives.
The sweet bye and bye will be even sweeter knowing you are there.
P.S. Oh yes, and thanks for only squeaking the cat, and not eating her, that time she dared you to catch her - and you did.
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