I marked Lucy's date of birth on this memorial as the day we rescued her from the Marion County Humane Society in Fairmont, West Virginia because that's really the day she started living.
Lucy was about 4 yrs old when we got her. We saw her photo on Petfinders.com. We had always wanted a Saint Bernard (we like the rugged type) and we happened to peer on there one day and there she was..sweet as could be!
It was a sunny saturday afternoon and my husband and I headed to the Humane Society to check her out. She was very emaciated and terribly fearful of people. Lucy, along with about 7 horses and 10 other dogs were tied to trees and left to die on a farm in Morgantown. The Humane Society intervened and rescued these poor animals. Lucy was so shy she wouldn't even take a bone from our hand but rather just look away like she could never trust anyone. We got Lucy 3 days before Christmas and spent Christmas Eve at the Vet's office because she wouldn't eat (she had worms). From that point, it was just UP UP UP for Lucy. She went from a skinny 68 lbs. to a whopping 165. She played with our beagle and became friends with everyone who ran into her. She slept in the bed - although she preferred the hardwood floors (they were cool). Her personality was just awesome! She loved to sneak up and sleep on the couch. And I remember the day I brought her home (my husband was at work) so I thought, since it was the first day, since I was leaving for work and he would be coming home in a few hours, I thought I could just put her in our outdoor wood shed (20x12 with lots of blankets on the floor). Well, she knew from the start that she was going to live INSIDE. She practically busted down the wooden doors trying to get out.. I had to call off of work that evening and I stayed home and got her accustomed to her new living area (in our house of course!)
Lucy lived with us in Barrackville West Virginia for 3 years then she moved with us to Boyers, Pennsylvania. She (and the rest of us) lived in my parents basement for a year then we all moved into our new home that was just built. Lucy loved it there but the stairs were a challenge for her in her progressing years. As time rolled on, the stairs became more and more difficult for her so she eventually ended up hanging out in the basement most of the time to be near the food bowl. In the meantime, we adopted another St. Bernard (Jazzy) and everyone loved each other. As Lucy got older however, she becamse less tolerant of the bouncing & boing'ing beagle and St. Bernard.
Our dog sitter, who is 13, took good care of all the pooches while we vacationed. They got to stay in their air conditioned house, in their own element and nobody's routine was broken just because we decided to go on vacation.
Finally, last week, I decided that the progressively worsening breathing, the struggle to climb the stairs and the loss of bladder were signs that I, as a responsible pet owner, had to do what was right for Lucy and end her suffering.
It was the hardest thing I had to do in my life but I am thankful for the time I had with her and I am thankful for the time she gave to us. She was loyal, friendly but most of all, she loved us unconditionally. I will always keep it dear to me that Lucy's second half of her life was much better than her first.. and I'm sure as she is running in heaven right now, her next life will be a great one!
I love you, Lou!! All of my life for now and eternity ..and I will be seeing you again in the future.
Loving and missing you terribly.