In loving memory of Jewel

Jewel, or Jewelly as we called her,  was a senior we adopted from the CA GSP Rescue in the Spring of 2011.When we adopted Diesel (formerly Hobo) and Hershey (formerly Pringles) in 2008, that was the first time that I recall seeing Jewel.  I believe that she had just been brought in to the rescue and was not yet up for adoption.  When we came back to the rescue to adopt again - nearly 4 years later, Jewel was still there.  I could not believe my eyes.  Why had this sweet girl not been adopted by now?  Because she was a senior?  Because she had fatty tumors?  Warts?  Hard of hearing?  What??  We could not leave without her, and took her home.We have an equestrian trail leading from our place to the Cleveland National Forest behind us.  She loved to hike down the trail with us in the cooler months. With stellar expertise, Jewel would flush out rabbits, quail, dove, and other birds along the way.  She was a true hunter, far surpassing our abilities in awareness of the surroundings on the trail and hillside.Jewel was showing signs of osteoarthritis, among other things.  She started having random seizures that would last a horrifying 5-10 minutes, with up to 2 hours of aimless wandering and bumping into things after the seizure.  They often times seemed to hit in the middle of the night, and we would watch over her until she could finally lay down in exhaustion and slowly return to her normal self. Sadly, there really was nothing that we could do during one of those episodes but wait it out.As time went on, Jewel was also really starting to have a difficult time with mobility due to arthritis.  Her back legs would give her so much trouble.  Thankfully, Jewel's arthritis was eased with medication which allowed her to go on walks around our 8 acres and beyond.  At times, she would try to run and keep up with the golf cart...still a puppy at heart.In the nearly 2 years that we had Jewel, she was such a good girl.  Never a bad day.  So well behaved.  Jewel really lived for treats and would sniff them out until you relented.  If you showed her a treat, without prompting, she'd even 'sit' - which was difficult and painful to do.  Such a good girl.Her sight and hearing were going.  That we all could live with.  But, her mobility was waning daily.  Her legs wouldn't want to function properly, many times getting twisted until she fell onto them.  I was so fearful that she'd break bones when it happened.Well, today, Jewel finally let us know that she couldn't carry on...it was her time. Michael took her in to our Veterinarian.  The Vet was so caring and allowed Jewel to just stay in the truck to go 'bye-bye'.  There in the front seat, with much care and understanding, she administered to Jewel until she was gone.  Michael said that Jewel was given the utmost care.  The Vet did not want to rush Jewel through the steps.  She wanted her to be totally at ease and pain-free.  So thankful for that kind of professional that has a compassionate heart.We're going to really miss having to shout Jewelly's name or clap our hands so we could get her attention.  Personally, I'm going to miss our daily routines of tending to the hens together twice a day, her sleeping at my feet in my office while I worked, or Michael's walks with all of the doggies down the trail to the creek.  We're going to miss spoiling her with treats, and watching the sunset together each evening from the back patio.Tonight at sunset, we will toast to our dear friend, Jewelly.  They say, "All dogs go to Heaven."  We hope to see you running in the fields of Heaven someday Jewel.  Until then, we will miss you so...Thank you to Marla and Michael for opening up your hearts and your home to adopt Jewel, a senior GSP, and providing her with the love of a family for the rest of her life that she had lost long ago.[portfolio_slideshow slideheight=400]