Spirit

My sweet dog Spirit passed away on March 18.
 
Spirit was the dog that we got on May 25, 2011. She was the cutest thing.  We got her from the humane society.  They told us that they found her in a hoarding situation, in a barn with about 100 other dogs.
We visited her a few times while still at the humane society, while they spayed her.  She would come to the side of the cage, sniff us then go back and lie down.
They had to clip her fur off because it was so matted.
When I brought her home, she hated the car ride.  I stopped at my daughter's school so she could say hi to Spirit between classes.  Spirit hated the front door of our building, she hated the elevator, she didn't want to go through our apartment door!  She wouldn't eat in front of anyone.  She waited until no one was in the room to eat. She was shy and scared, with her tail tucked between her legs and her whole body shaking.
It took Spirit about a week for her tail to be raised and wagging.  She stopped shaking.  After about another week she wasn't scared of the stairway.  After about 3 weeks, the elevator didn't freak her out.   After about a month, she would eat in front of us and she knew that if I grabbed my keys and the leash, she was going for a walk!!
She welcomed our other dogs like the mellow girl she was.  First Phantom, a year after her and then Coco, two years later.
Fast forward almost 8 years and Spirit was always a joy to be around.  She was still scared of loud noises but she loved to be outside, to run, to sit with me. She LOVED to lick!!
She LOVED me!!
She had some health problems: Emergency surgery to remove bladder stone the size of a peach pit three years ago, and last year, some major gastrointestinal issues that would have driven anyone insane.  But she (and my family!!) made it through.  Because Spirit was a survivor.
 
But she couldn’t survive the fluid in her lungs the built up quickly and without much warning.
I called the Vet at 8am, we were in the office at 9.  She was dead by 10. 
I do wish that I just held her while she died instead of running the few tests that I could afford.  But it is hard to make a decision like that.  One never knows what is going to happen. 
We will miss you, sweet Spirit.
You showed the true meaning of the word Spirit!!!