Incredibly, there is more sad news today… After having lost our bulldog, presumably to old age, just this morning (see previous post) word comes that our German Shepherd Lucy had to be put down.

Lynda, who is in the city for a few days, had tried to see Lucy earlier in the week, but was told she had a sore leg and they wanted to keep her off it. So she thought she’d try later in the week. Well today, they had Lucy in to the vet, and it turned out she had cancer, and it had spread into her bones. There was no choice.

Lucy was my first dog. I’d been around them, Lynda had dogs, but never had my own dog. Lucy was intended to be a companion for my mother-in-law, but proved to be more than Doreen could safely manage. Having been abused as a puppy and reclaimed by the breeder, Lucy was quite skittish and difficult. But I won her over with cheese, and she was my best friend for ever after. She pretty much adopted ME at that point.

She was always so gentle and timid with us, that it was surprising that she became as aggressive as she did towards other people. Fiercely protective, I guess, of her hard-won family stability. Which made it that much more painful to have to send her away.

I just said to Doreen this morning that when Lucy finally does go, it will be like mourning her loss all over again. Who knew it would happen the same day as Tiger… funny how these things go…

Not a good day for this dog-loving family…