(Calla with watering can)

My husband and I adopted 2 puppies (littermates) from a shelter on October 19, 2004. It was one of the greatest things we’ve ever done and it changed our lives forever. Calla was female, brownish/reddish and Coda was male, all black with a white spot on his chest, both 2-month old lab mix puppies. From the moment we adopted them, they became the center of our lives. We had no intentions of adopting more than one dog and we had our hearts set on Calla the minute we saw her at the shelter but we picked up both Calla and Coda at the same time and knew that we had to have them both. Their puppyhood was so much fun – they were so curious and playful and learned everything so quickly. When they were about 5-6 months old, we moved from our apartment to a house with a HUGE yard (partly cleared, and partly woods – all fenced) which was great for them to play in, especially since they were growing incredibly fast! Calla topped out at 55lbs, Coda at 73lbs.

As much as I loved them as puppies, I loved them even more as adults, their true personalities came out and they were as wonderful as they were different. Calla was definitely the alpha (after Davis and myself of course) and Coda happily accepted his beta role. I never got bored of watching them chase each other and wrestle all over the yard – they were hilarious! Our weekends were often spent at the dog park or hiking or taking them with us to restaurants and to visit family. They went everywhere with us – we were the greatest family of 4! Coda was definitely a dog’s dog. He loved being outside playing with Calla, lying in the sun, chasing balls and sticks (chasing, mind you, not retrieving!) He’s not the most affectionate dog but he does love being scratched on his butt and he’s up for a walk and an adventure anytime! Calla, however, was a people dog. She loved people! She was an attention hog, and we loved to give it to her. She LOVED belly rubs and the sight of her rolling onto her back anytime I came near always warmed my heart and made me smile. Not that she didn’t love to be touched anywhere else - she loved to be pet everywhere, her face and temples being another favorite. She was also a licker! She licked, and licked and licked, she was obsessive about it, especially our faces, and we LOVED her kisses! She also loved to hike and even enjoyed the ride there – she always had an extreme look of pleasure on her face as it hung out of the car window, the air rushing past her, her ears flapping in the wind.

On Saturday, May 27, 2006 (after several weeks of tests and medicines when Calla stopped eating and starting drastically losing weight) she was diagnosed with cancer. We were shocked, as were the vets telling us the news – they agreed that it was very unusual for a dog so young (1 year 9 months old) to get cancer. And worse still, it was very far progressed. She had a large mass near her heart that was lymphoma, and it had spread to her liver, her liver cells were almost completely depleted. She also had fluid in her abdomen. They said she was a stage 4, but possibly a stage 5 – they would have had to do more tests to find out for sure and since it was Memorial Day weekend, they didn’t have the specialist there to do it. They said that she wasn’t in pain but she was uncomfortable, mostly because the mass was pushing her organs together and against her stomach and because her liver wasn’t working properly. They said she had probably had the cancer mass for awhile but didn’t have any symptoms until it attacked her liver. They explained to us that chemo wouldn’t cure her but that with dogs, it simply puts them in remission for 6-18 months. They were honest with us however and told us that they really didn’t think it would help Calla much. They said the chemo may or may not make her sick and she probably wouldn’t go into remission because she was already so sick and her liver was in failure. They said that without any treatment, she would probably only live a few days, weeks at best, and treatment might only extend her life a little, if any, and they weren’t certain what the quality of life would be, but probably not good. We talked to them for awhile, discussing options, crying, trying to decide what was best for Calla.

We decided to take her home right then and enjoy the rest of the day with her, and have a great Sunday with her and then have her put to sleep Monday morning. So, that’s what we did. The doctors gave us some prednisone to help with her discomfort – it really did help! We got home Sat. afternoon and after Calla rested we went to a park with a lake that we’d never been to before – she loved it! The medicine really perked her up (it was so hard to see her acting so normal knowing that we were going to put her to sleep, but I’m still really glad she was able to feel better during her last days.) She chased after ducks and geese and enjoyed exploring with Coda, Davis and I. Since she had showed no interest in her dog food for some time, we decided to feed her yummy human food (we never feed our dogs human food so it was quite the treat!) We cooked her up some scrambled eggs and gave her all of her favorite treats. On Sunday, we went to 4 different parks throughout the day – she really seemed to be happiest when we were outside walking around! At home we would hang out on our deck in the backyard giving her belly rubs. While she took naps inside, Davis and I tried to watch movies and occupy ourselves, but mostly we sat with her, pet her and cried. We had fun cooking up yummy meals for her. It turned out that her favorite human foods were cooked ground beef and chicken with bits of cheese and chicken broth. The medicine stimulated her appetite as well and she gobbled up everything we gave her with glee! The rest of our time together was perfect! We took lots of pictures and video. We gave her lots of belly rubs, and hugs and kisses. I could have sat there with her forever.

Monday, May 29, 2006 at 9am, Davis, Coda and I crowded around her at the vet and said our goodbyes. We were with her as she went to sleep, petting her, loving her and whispering I love yous, good girls, and sweet sweet Callas in her ear. We picked out the perfect urn for her so she can go with us wherever we go. It’s a red wood box (she’s our red dog) called the “purple heart.” She earned a purple heart in love and sweetness, and how appropriate, being Memorial Day.

Davis and Coda and I are so lucky that we have had Calla in our lives. We miss her more and more each day, it has been very hard without her. We have set up a little memorial for her in our home with her urn, a scrapbook, shadowboxes with her collar, favorite toys, etc, and lots of pictures. She was the sweetest, most loving dog I have ever met and I will always have a picture of her in my head of her rolling on her back for a belly rub, sticking her head out of the car while going on fun trips, and slobbering our faces with wet kisses.

(Calla and Coda on their favorite chair)

(Coda and Calla kissing)

(Calla and Coda sleeping)

(Coda, Davis, Darline and Calla)