Viva was a shy little gal right from the beginning. I chose her out of the litter for that very reason. She was quiet and rather aloof for a 6 week old puppy, not interacting with her siblings and facing the corner, while all the other puppies were playing with eachother and jumping up and down begging to be picked. She was also the color of fire, which is pretty rare for a golden retriever. She was a chubby ball of love from day one and was my Christmas Puppy 1997, and remained so every Christmas following with her jingling Christmas bell collar and cheery spirit. I was blessed to have picked the perfect dog.
She slept at the foot of my bed every night for 9 years and would loyally wait patiently untiI I woke, coming up to me with tail wagging to say good morning. EVERY MORNING. She loved her daily walks, loved playing catch and retrieve (of course) and immediately loved the beach when I took her there for the first time at the age of 7. She became a regular seal and would swim out farther than was comfortable for me several times. She was sweet and gentle with children and smaller animals, and had a fascination with cats. Never wanting to hurt or chase them, but could stare at them for a ridiculously prolonged period of time. I think she liked their mystery. In the late summer 2006 we added a new addition to the family with a rescue dog Ezio who Vivi warmed up to faster than I ever suspected was possible. I underestimated her! Although she completely bailed him at the beach as he, scared stood at the shore (not a water dog) and she jumped in and swam around like a fish. But every afternoon at home was a wrestling match or tug of war over a ropey or ball, that would last for a good hour, and everynight was cuddling on the couch like two cats, Ezio nestling his face into her neck. I thought many times I was dreaming when I saw how close they were growing. Viva was kindof a bitch to other dogs. I think mostly because she thought there was no way she could be one. I'm just glad she experienced bonding with her species before she moved on to the other side.
Viva lost her year long battle with lymphoma cancer on December 6, 2006 at 4:17pm. I awoke on the morning of her passing with her sitting beside the bed staring at me. I knew something was wrong, even though she was as calm as I've ever seen her. Within the hour her breathing got rapidly worse, and her eyes were doing a seizure-like fluttering, to the point I thought she was going to die right then in my arms. She finally stumbled out the door with me when I asked her if she wanted to "go with me" (a car ride always got her excited, even in her worst chemo days). She suffered internal bleeding from what is a side effect of the lomostine (the cancer drug she was taking for 8+ months. The vet thought the eye fluttering could of either been bleeding in the brain or V's reaction to pain. She needed a blood transfusion which she would either accept or reject...well her reaction wasn't what we were hoping. Her temperature rose, she threw up and the heavy breathing (even with oxygen) and the "eye-fluttering spells" didn't improve. So after being at the vet for six hours with her and watching her worsen, hearing both vets tell us it was her time, we knew we had to let her go. With her two favorite people beside her side telling her how loved she was and who would be waiting for her on the other side, she was peaceful and relaxed in her Mom's arms.
She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew and loved her. Especially her Mommy. I love you Vivi. I know the bond we had can never be replicated and I will miss you more than this little memorial can come close to showing.