Mallie Girl

After a very long illness, my parents made the difficult decision to put our family dog, Mallie, to sleep this afternoon. The story goes that I had moved into the dorms, Kyle was always at baseball practice, and my dad was covering ballgames and meetings, so my mom told him that she either needed a dog or another baby to keep her company at night. DOG IT IS!

So Christmas break my freshman year of college, we adopted Mallie, a Westie, who was estimated to be 2-3 years old, already house trained, and my mom's best friend from the beginning. Always "pleasantly plump", none of us could ever deny sharing our food with Mallie who just had the perfect way of turning her head in the cutest way and "sitting pretty" to get just what she wanted.

A few years ago, she started having health trouble. Eventually diagnosed with diabetes, she was on daily medicines that seemed to bring her back to the dog she once had been- running, rolling around, and acting like herself. It wasn't meant to last though and last summer, we all thought she would have to be put to sleep before we went on vacation. She rallied again and up until about a month ago was doing okay, all things considered.

In the past few weeks, she had more accidents, started losing teeth causing her gums to bleed, she couldn't see or hear, her ear was oozing, and she was having trouble walking. After talking it over with our wonderful vet (we take Avery to the same one), it was decided that Mallie would have a "last meal" of Cherub tomatoes and that my parents would be with her. I got to say my good-byes after dinner last night and was okay today until my dad texted to let me know she was gone.

This past summer, when we initially thought Mallie was going to pass away, my dad found a poem about the Rainbow Bridge. It's basically about how all our pets all play and enjoy Heaven together, then one day, your pet will realize you've made it to Heaven and your cross the Rainbow Bridge together. I can't do it justice, but if you're an animal lover and in the mood for a cry, Google it. When my dad texted, my mind immediately went to the Rainbow Bridge and I was a mess.

Here's my sweet Avery Girl with my sweet Mallie Girl:


As a family, we waited a long time for a dog. Most of mine and Kyle's friends growing up had a dog, sometimes more than one. We had a bird and rabbits growing up, but we were all excited about getting Mallie. She was wonderful, sweet, and a constant protector. See you at the Rainbow Bridge, Mallie Girl.