My husband of 13 years died of a heart attack in April of 2008. At that time, we had a Sheltie named Cody. He was definitely a daddy's boy. He became so depressed after David died that I feared I would lose him too. Fast forward to December of 2009; Cody was having trouble walking. I took him to the vet hospital and they determined he was in heart failure but said with medication, he would do just fine. Three days later, he had a seizure at 5 in the morning. After another work-up, they found a brain tumor. I couldn't bear to see him suffer so he went to the Rainbow Bridge on December 2, 2009. It hurt so much to say good bye to him but I knew that it was the right thing to do. As you might imagine, losing both the men in my life in such a short time span took a toll on my mental and physical health.
About a month after I lost Cody, a friend sent me an email telling me that there were two Shelties at the county animal shelter in desperate need of a good home together. Their mom had cancer and she couldn't keep them anymore. They had spent the better part of a month housed at a veterinarian's office and then were moved to the shelter. Her last request was that they find a home together but no one was interested in the larger of the two. I agreed to go and see them. That was all it took. I knew they had to come home with me.
Today, Brody (left) and Darby (right) are my grief counselors, my angels. They know when I am feeling down; they climb up on my lap to give me a snuggle and a kiss. They are truly my best friends and the best medicine around.
Ames, IA
