#RIPdallas

I was raised with big dogs. Dogs were always a part of my family’s life. And it took me a solid ten years to talk David into a big dog. When Daly Kay was 9 years old we bought a goldendoodle, and Daly Kay named her Dallas. Dallas was 100% DK’s responsibility – I never once fed that dog, walked her, took her to the vet or even washed her. All that was Daly’s job from day one.

Dallas was DK’s best friend. Her confidante. They walked the beach every morning and ran together in the evenings. As Dallas aged, we bought a sheepadoodle, Dixie, to try and keep Dallas young. It worked. Dixie kept Dallas happy company and they had the last 5 years together.

But in June, Dallas began to act a little strange. I thought she was just depressed because DK and the oldest girls were overseas for a few weeks. But when Daly Kay got home she noticed a large bump on Dallas’s chest/leg area.

We took her to the vet. She required surgery. While we were out of town the results came back.

Cancer.

When we got home, we went to see Doc. He said the type of cancer Dallas had was incurable and to be honest, even if we tried radical measures to save her, the cure would be worse than the illness. The doctor’s recommendation was to take D Dog home and enjoy spending time with her. Daly Kay took her to the beach every day and D Dog went from frolicking, to walking, to sitting, to not being able to get into the car anymore.

Her health deteriorated quickly and weight loss became the issue. She was unable to keep food down and it was obvious she was in pain. It got to the point that it was selfish to let her continue to be in pain because we were hoping to evade the inevitable.  Finally, this past week, Daly Kay made the heart wrenching decision to let Dallas meet her Maker.

I asked her if she wanted me to go with her, and in true independent DK spirit, no. She did not. She wanted to this alone.

I may be a tough mom, and it is rare that someone sees me cry. But when my children hurt, it tears me apart. Daly Kay grew up with Dallas, she loved that big ol’ dog. I mean, I loved Dallas too — she was an incredible protector of our children, nightly made the rounds from room to room checking up on the kids. After her rounds, she would burst into my room and “Hu-Ruumph” herself onto the quilt I would lay at the food of my bed. She was a loving, kind soul and had a certain swag that implied, “I do what I want, I belong to the oldest kid” kind of attitude. But I am mostly hurt that my child is hurting — and there is nothing I can do to fix it.

So thank you for all your prayers and kind wishes for Daly Kay and this heartbreaking loss. It’s been a crazy, challenging, busy month in this household. But this dear old dog was a precious part of my daughter’s childhood and she will be sorely missed in our family.