Today we said goodbye to our first child, Hallie. Hallie had been fighting cancer for several months, and was beginning to suffer so we made that tough decision, and elected to let her go.
Hallie was born in April 1995 to a Cocker spaniel mother and a Beagle father. She was a pound puppy. I picked her up on June 10, 1995, 6 days after Becky and I got married. My Mom told me shortly before she died in January that she always thought that this was either a bold move or a very stupid one. I prefer the former.
I remember our very first day together vividly. Becky was studying for her CPA, and I was putting moving boxes into the attic of our new home in Chandler AZ. I remember standing on top of the ladder, looking down at that tiny creature and those big brown eyes and thinking that I was going to have a very difficult day, roughly 15 years in the future. Today was that day.
For those that didn’t have the privilege of encountering Hallie, here’s a brief recap of one of her life, and what she meant to us.
She was a naughty little puppy
Hallie was very naughty little puppy with ears too big for her head. For the first few weeks after she came to live with us, my daily activities included reburying the drip lines . For our Oregon friends, plant irrigation in AZ involves drip lines that are buried just under the surface. They are very tempting for puppies.
To this day, one of the most amazing things I’ve seen was Hallie’s attention to detail. Hallie managed to carefully unzip the cushion zipper from our [then] new couch and remove all the stuffing. Christmas was equally as fun. She chewed the plug ends off of the Christmas tree lights. It’s a miracle she survived puppyhood.
After she got a little bigger, I started running with Hallie. Hallie got up out of a warm bed (she slept with us) at 4am most mornings and ran hard. At one point she was doing 30 miles a week with me, and was 35 pounds of solid muscle.
And then kids came along.
Hallie and Reed on Guard Duty
Hallie and Reed became best buds quickly. They could often be found on guard duty n the front window of another new house in Gilbert, AZ. And until very recently, she could be found in his room “putting him to bed.” It was one of the coolest things to see.
In September 2001, we found out we were having quadruplets (still hoping someone can explain to me how that happened). Right after Christmas 2001, Becky went on doctor-ordered bedrest for 3.5 months . Hallie was her constant companion and very rarely left her side. I think she kept Becky sane, while the babies were growing inside her.
After the babies arrived, Hallie could be found participating in nighttime feedings. She didn’t get much work done, but she was a good companion.
Feeding Time Companion
In May of 2004, we moved from AZ to Portland. There was discussion of Hallie staying behind with Nana and Papa in AZ, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of her not coming with us. So we changed climates.
In 2006 or 2007 (can’t remember), I started to notice Hallie moving slower when climbing stairs, maybe a little arthritis so she retired from running and took to minding all the kids.
But she wasn’t done with me yet. We used to play a game where I would sneak up behind her and grab her hindquarters. She would ALWAYS respond by turning around and trying to bite me. Even coming after me as I ran for cover.
She sent me to the hospital once. She was slightly faster than me on one round, and bit me on the palm, leaving a huge gash. I had to go to the hospital for medical attention. Imagine me trying to explain that to the doc.
In 2009, we started to notice Hallie having more difficulty breathing. Her breathing got very noisy so we took her to the doctor, who, after an MRI, determined that she had an adenocarcinoma growing in her right sinus and nasal cavity. We consulted with a veterinary oncologist, and they said they could give her a few more months, but it was going to be extremely stressful. She’d been too good a friend to put her through that, so we elected to make her remaining time the best ever.
She got anything she wanted: steak, hot dogs, rotisserie chicken, scrambled eggs and bacon, and one of her favorites: cheerios and milk.
She Earned Her Rest
Last week we noticed a cherry-tomato size lump on one of her rear legs, and she started favoring that leg. Her breathing started to become more labored, and she was having problems sleeping at night. The tumors in her sinus were making it really tough for her to put her head down and sleep comfortably, and she was completely exhausted.
This morning, she couldn’t put any weight on the leg with tumor, and she fell down the stairs. We also noticed her nodding off and falling over as she struggled to breathe. She was still responsive to us, and came when we called her, but she’s been such a good friend that we couldn’t put her through that. It was clear that she was starting to suffer, and Becky and I agreed that we weren’t going to let that happen.
We canceled all activities for the day, pulled the family together, and told the kids it was time. Just after 2pm, we all got in the car and drove over to the Southgate Veterinary Clinic (family friend is one of the vets), and let Hallie go. Those people were incredibly good to a group of total strangers.
Shortly after 3pm, we started the process, by 3:15pm, she was gone. She died in my arms, and as she was going, I thought back to our very first day together, when I knew this day would come. I thanked her for being such a good friend, and let her go.
Here is a link to one of my favorite outings with Hallie. I’m going to miss my friend terribly.
Updated – 06-02-2010:
Becky found a card that Robyn made for Hallie today:
Robyn's Card To Hallie
Robyn's Card To Hallie
Robyn's Card To Hallie
. Pictures and video follow….
