With heavy hearts, we want to inform you that we said goodbye to our Lucy yesterday. She was adopted from Muttville, originally Lucille, in February 2015. Words can’t even begin to describe how much we loved her, and how devastated we are that she’s gone. But we want to tell her/our story, because although we know there will never be another Lucy, we know that as dog-lovers, this is what we signed up for, and we want to remind people how special older dogs are. Whether you get your dog as a puppy or as a senior or somewhere in between, the love and the memories are worth every bit of heartbreak in the end.
My wife and I volunteered at the San Francisco SPCA for a year and a half to fulfill our doggie craving while we lived in an apartment that didn’t allow pets. We moved into our own house the last weekend of January 2015, saying we’d wait a bit to find just the right dog for us. We only made it to Valentine’s Day when little 10ish-year-old Lucy waddled into our family. We’d always been drawn to Muttville Senior Dog Rescue because we found senior dogs to be so sweet and mellow, and we knew from our experience at the SPCA that it was that much harder for them to find forever homes. But adopting Lucy was no charity act, because we considered ourselves truly lucky for every single day we got to spend with this grumpy old lady.
For three years Lucy really wasn’t much of a cuddle bug, but she struggled with dementia for quite some time, and as she became more fatigued near the end, she would literally fall asleep in our arms like a newborn baby. She always had a generally aloof personality, but somehow that suited us just fine, because we knew deep down she truly needed us and we would literally do anything to please her and make her more comfortable. We would revel in her happy bunny-hopping around the house, her soft blonde curls, her adorable curled-up poses in her bed, and of course her cozy snuggles. Lucy was absolute perfection to us, and to think that she was found stray and overweight with an enlarged spleen (that was eventually removed) and a mouthful of rotten teeth (also mostly removed) breaks our hearts. We can only guess what her life was like before, but we always hoped that her days with us were her happiest and comfiest to date.
As the first dog I’ve ever had to call my own, I can’t remember life without Lucy. Given her declining health near the end, it was nearly impossible to think about saying goodbye. But I wouldn’t trade our love for her for anything in the world, and I know our feelings are no less valid than someone who has had the same dog for 15 years. We see so many senior dogs – through Muttville and tons of other amazing rescue organizations – that once would have been overlooked by adopters, and we’re so grateful that these dogs are being given another chance. Because by opening our home to Lucy three years ago, by embracing whatever time she had left, we opened our hearts to a lifetime of memories: her lifetime with us. We will forever be grateful that she chose our family to be her own, and we will forever hold her in our hearts, our littlest love, our Lucy.
Thank you Muttville for all that you do, and for bringing us Lucy. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again sometime soon.
Jessica & Nicole
6/13/18
