Judy has participated in a Labrador mailing list for many years.  She
sent this message to our Internet friends.  We could each add so many
stories about her... how our neighbors asked for a photo of *our*
dog... how... ah, too many.  There's a sixty-five pound hole in our
lives.


From: Judy Wolff
To: lablist
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 17:28:03 -0400
Subject: INFO: Sheena, 1990-2005


Sheena, Labrador Princess, CGC, crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday, 7
weeks shy of her 15th birthday.

She was my first dog, adopted at age 6 from Lab Rescue (they called her "a
marshmallow"), and a dog-owner's dream: sweet, impeccable manners, tons of
personality, spunky, independent, playful, a good communicator. She never
countersurfed, chewed, misbehaved.

She had little use for other dogs, but loved people, thought she was one.
Neighbors brought their infants and toddlers to introduce them to "a nice
doggy" and she was so gentle with them. She growled only once, when Tucker
tried to mount her on their first meeting. Her only flaw was her desire to
explore the world, which meant we had to take extra care that she didn't
slip through an open door. (The first message I ever posted to Lab-L was
about her escaping; the suggestions I received saved her life. Soon I am
going to remove the "Where's Sheena?" signs from the doors.)

She was mentally alert to the end. In recent months, I trained Tucker to lie
at the foot of the stairs when I had to be upstairs. Sheena would get up
from her bed (a Herculean effort with her arthritis), toddle over, and lie
there, too, in anticipation of a treat. She would do this even when Tucker
wasn't around; she learned and milked every opportunity for a treat. So many
good memories, so many stories I could tell...

Her final days were a blessing: filled with visits from her favorite people,
ice cream, cookies, McDonald's cheeseburger & fries, more ice cream, and a
final walk around the backyard. Her last two days were the best weather
we've had all summer, so she was able to spend time in the backyard she
loved. In her final hour, she was able to muster the strength to give me one
last tail wag, and was able to walk off the deck, down the ramp to the yard
on her own.

Yesterday her vet came to the house, gave her lots of the liver treats she
liked, reminisced with us while we waited for the sedative to kick in. Her
head rested in my lap, with the fleece squeaky toy that came with her from
her original home. My husband was on one side of me, holding her, and Tucker
on the other.

Sheena's last act, so typical of her, was to check the vet's fingers for one
more cookie. Her passing was peaceful. The vet cried, hugged me, and asked
if I had a photo of her. He's been treating her with acupuncture every month
for 7 years; her arthritic spine had been on borrowed time for 3-4 years.
For the last 5 months we've been at his office 1-3 times a week for one
thing or another, and she'd rebound to "the same old Sheena" with good
quality of life, just happy to be here. A series of seizures in the last
week changed that quality of life such that the final gift I could give her
was release from earthly pains.

She was so special in so many ways and touched so many hearts. I am so lucky
to have had my first dog be my heart dog.

I miss her so much. She's been such a huge part of my life for the last 9
years. The house is so quiet without her thump-thump heavy steps, rattling
key tags, and loud panting.

She's buried in the backyard, under a tree, near the lilies.

Rest in peace, baby. I hear there's an infinite supply of cookies at the
Bridge.

Judy & Tucker