Goodbye, Sierra..........

[2rotties2luv]

My heart is so sad, I haven't been able to post until today. I lost my beloved companion, Sierra, to hemangiosarcoma on May 5th. She was 9yrs and 1 month old and had only been ill for 2 days, when the cancer was found on her heart and spleen by ultrasound at the Emergency Animal Hospital. She had been sleeping more the last few months, but otherwise seemed healthy and behaved as usual. But her heart had been so damaged by the cancer that the vet gave her 2-3 weeks at the most. Looking at her, I saw the light had gone out of her eyes, and she was in pain and so I decided to release her. I spent the morning with her, said I would come back that evening, as my daughter wanted to come and visit her to say goodbye. My daughter spent most of the afternoon with her, and was able to take her outside for awhile. My regular vet, Robin, cancelled her late afternoon appointments and came to visit Sierra and to say goodbye. I brought my other rottie, Jazz, with me and held her as she was given the injection and passed away.

Sierra wasn't a beautiful rottie - she was too tall, she had a stocky body with thin legs and delicate feet, she had a fox face (pointy nose) and she carried her ears back like a greyhound. But, OH, she had the biggest heart and she loved people and gave so much.......

Sierra was a special rottie and is missed by many. We were a Delta Society Pet Partner Team and had worked providing canine therapy since she was 4 yrs old. We visited every other Saturday at a nursing home (the Saturdays in between, I visited with Jazz, who is also a therapy dog), and the residents just loved her. There are many amazing stories of her interactions with the residents at the nursing home. We also provided a dog-bite prevention presentation every year at several inner city and suburban elementary schools. Many children loved her, and many asked me where they could get a dog like her. Just about everyone who met her was won by her happy, friendly manner. She was calm, confident and wonderful with people, and she had wonderful manners. Everyone who handled her, vets, vet techs, groomers, boarding kennel, trainers, Delta Society evaluators, every one of those people told me that she was an exceptional dog.

I've received cards, letters, phone calls, flowers and numerous contributions to several canine organizations have been made in her memory, and I've been astonished at how many people's lives have been touched by Sierra. While I've really appreciated all the support I've been given, I still miss Sierra SO much. I don't think I could bear to go home if my home were empty. I'm so lucky to have Sierra's equally wonderful little brother Jazz to come home to.

Thanks, all of you nice folks for listening, and for understanding.......

Susan

[Miabella]

Susan, I am so sorry for the loss of Sierra. I lost my first Rottweiler to hemangiosarcoma under almost identical circumstances. She stopped eating on a Monday evening, and by Thursday we had to euthanize her. We hadn't noticed any slowdown in energy level because she had been on crate rest for the previous 12 weeks due to surgery for a torn cruciate ligament.

I'm so sorry for your loss. :(

[Sharon Marples]

Sierra wasn't a beautiful rottie - she was too tall, she had a stocky body with thin legs and delicate feet, she had a fox face (pointy nose) and she carried her ears back like a greyhound. But, OH, she had the biggest heart and she loved people and gave so much.......

She sounds like one of the most beautiful rotties in the world to me!

So sorry to hear of your loss, the Rottweiler world has lost a great representative in Sierra. Time will help to hear your sorrow and hopefully that sorrow will be replaced with beautiful memories.

Our deepest sympathy.....

Sharon Marples

[sparklemom]

Susan, I am so sorry for your loss. Sierra gave you 9 wondeful years and you gave her a wonderful life. And, by the way, there is no such thing as an ugly rottweiler -- she was beautiful inside and out.

[whitney greenway]

I hate this part of the forum, but I still continue to visit it.

In times of need, we all feel so much better when people take the time to recongnize our grief. People that have been there and understand, that it is more than a PET!

We all have been there, it is not an easy road to walk down.

You have all of our sympathy during a hard time.

Whitney

[LORHEL]

Susan, my deepest sympathy on the loss of your special rottie girl. I am very sorry she was in pain at the end, but that you had so many wonderful years with her, and she sounds like an extra special girl, who made all who knew her smile.

She's in your heart, and you have many wonderful memories.

Hugs to you from Makita and I.

Lori

[Rottlva]

:( It sounds as if she will me missed by so many. What a wonderful life she led; bringing joy to those who need it most. In this time of sorrow, hold tightly to your memories, keep them in your heart, and remember happy times. You'll meet again.

Jessica

[alexav]

So sorry. :( I'm glad Jazz is there to help heal your heart.

[LynnS]

I am so sorry for your loss. But what special memories you have of one who touched so many lives.



With deepest sympathy,

Lynn

[thoradopter]

Dear Susan,

I am so sorry for your sudden loss of Sierra to hemangiosarcoma on May 5th and can understand why you waited to post that here.

We lost our 10 yo female chocolate lab Sienna one week ago today to hemangiosarcoma. Like Sierra, she was happy and acted normally until just 2 weeks ago. When I came home from work she was lying flat on the cool tile and was listless. The next morning, we took her to the vet and found that her spleen had burst. An ultrasound showed that there were metastases on both lobes of her liver. But she was still walking and wagging her tail, so the vet did a spleenectomy. Sienna was recovering well and we were even scheduled to take her to an oncologist. However, one week ago yesterday, she was back on the cool floor and looking miserable, not eating. Last Thursday morning, the vet determined that one of her tumors on her lung had burst, indicating that others would soon follow. After looking in her eyes, we knew we had to let her go in peace. I hope you don't mind my having gone into detail here, but our experiences were quite similar, except that Sierra was a service dog and had a wider circle of those who miss her.

In some ways I believe we were spared seeing our dogs go through a long painful decline. I try to think of all the great times right up to the last few days before having to cross the bridge. Please feel to pm me if you would like to talk with a fellow member in recent pain from a sudden loss.

Linda