I haven’t been as active here lately as I would like to be.  I plan on trying to be more present.  So much has happened this past summer and I honestly just haven’t felt the need to share too much.  As of late though, I’ve been feeling the need to express more.  I think it might be just what I need.  Summer has come to an end and things in general seem to be slowing down quite a bit.  I look forward to getting back to blogging more consistently.

I guess I’ll get to what I haven’t felt like, or, I guess, been ready to share.  We lost our sweet Izzy girl a couple months ago.  It all happened so fast and it was heartbreaking.  She became ill suddenly and over the course of about a month she went downhill very quickly until we knew she couldn’t take any more.  We’re still not quite sure what happened.  It’s possible she had been sick with something we weren’t aware of for quite some time and whatever it was decided to come to the surface all at once.

I blamed myself for not recognizing certain symptoms that she was getting sick sooner.  I kept telling myself if I had just noticed this or that and had gotten her to the vet a few days earlier that we could’ve gotten ahead of the sickness and she would still be here.  I realize now that I did everything I could have.  I know that Izzy knew that too.

I’ll share here what I shared with my family and friends after we said goodbye:

Yesterday afternoon we said goodbye to our sweet Izzy girl. Her body failed her but I know her heart was all there. She had the biggest heart of any dog I’ve ever known. Even until the end when she was the one who needed comforting, she was more worried about comforting us. She would always give me a head nuzzle & a look with her big droopy eyes when she knew I was upset. I could always count on her to make me feel better.

She let me know she was ready in ways only I would‘ve recognized. She went peacefully with us all around her at home with the birds chirping in the background; just how she would’ve wanted it. A tiny blue butterfly circled around her many times before she went. I read somewhere that blue butterflies hovering in your presence are a sign of healing. I like to think I saw that blue butterfly for a reason.

Izzy loved taking walks through the woods & swimming in the pond. She was always the slow one on our walks. I was constantly looking back to make sure she was coming up behind us. She always was. She was never in a rush. Many times she was literally stopping to smell the flowers. Another lesson in life she taught me; take your time and enjoy things. Don’t rush them. Our walks will never be the same, but I know when I look back she will always be there.

I’m so happy Izzy got to spend her last days at home where she loved to be.  She got to take one last swim in the pond, hang out with her best bud, Jetty, and the pack and I took one last long walk through the woods.  We were in no hurry and we definitely stopped and took time to smell the flowers.

~ Lacey~