Cassandra - the
Greek goddess of prophesy. Who knew that when I chose that name for my
little ball of reddish gold fluff that she would be the start of it all?
My absolute love for this dog and this particular breed. Cassandra was a
lady.
She was the perfect
Golden...gentle, affectionate, loyal, and sensitive. We were
inseparable.
When I moved into
my first apartment in Manhattan, we would take marathon walks around the
city. We knew where every dog water fountain was on Fifth Avenue. We
went to all the parks. We would take cabs to Washington Square Park in
the Village. We rode the Staten Island Ferry. We went everywhere. People
used to ask me if I thought it was cruel keeping such a large dog in a
studio apartment...I replied, no, because where ever I am, she is. We
don't need a lot of room.
When I got married,
Cassandra was my flower dog. She wore a lace bow around her neck the
same shade as the lace in my wedding dress. There was never any
discussion that she wouldn't be there on such an important day. When my
husband and I bought our home in Westchester, our prime concern was that
we have a yard, that it be surrounded by woods, and on a dead end street
for her safety. What did a city kid like me know about Lyme Disease back
in 1986?
Well, she got it,
and she got it bad. Even though we caught it early, she continued to
relapse from this hideous disease. It snapped the ligaments in her legs.
She spent weeks in a cast while the muscles healed; she never
complained. She started to slow down, and arthritis set in. Our home
took on the look of a senior dog's home - runners on the floor so she
wouldn't slip; we moved our bed downstairs so she wouldn't have to climb
stairs to sleep with us. I helped her
in and out of the car. We
slowed down, but we still went everywhere together. My pal was getting
old and there was nothing I could do to prevent it.
Then Murphy, a four
month old rescue Golden, joined the family. Our vet assured us that this
would not upset Cassandra; in fact, it might make her feel young again.
And she did. We saw a remarkable change in her as she taught this young
whipper-snapper everything she knew. But then she started to slow down
again.
We went to the vet
every month because I wanted to make sure she wasn't in pain, and that
her quality of life wasn't suffering. The vet assured me that I would
know "when it was time". And I did. She knew it too.
We spent our last
hours together laying on the floor where she had collapsed because her
back legs couldn't support her anymore. It was time. We put her on her
bed, and took her to the vet. Both my husband and I stayed with her, and
she died peacefully in my arms. My promise to her was that she would
stay with me forever and she has. I have a piece of her fur in a gold
locket that I have worn around my neck next to my heart every day since
that day.
It has been eight
years and I still miss her terribly, and I know I always will. I still
cry when I talk about her...I'm crying now.
Murphy also missed
his pal. Four months later we decided that it was time to get him a
puppy. When we went to the breeder to select a new puppy, I asked when
the puppies were born. The breeder replied, "they were all born January
4th except for the one you are holding. She was born January 5th."
Cassandra's birthday. I knew that I had to have this puppy no matter
what, because Cassandra was being given back to me in that little puppy.
And she was...and she is with me.
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