When the kids were younger, we were ready for a family pet, so we went to the pound to adopt a dog. When we brought home our pound puppy, Angel, she was a one year old stray with scabs all over her body. She was so thin we were sure she was part whippet. But she just had this spirit about her, we knew she would be perfect for us.
She filled out within a few months and it started to look like she was a lab mix.
Angel has been the best-behaved, most loyal sweetheart of a dog we had ever met. She is a part of everything we do and is truly a member of the family.
Five years ago, at the age of seven, Angel developed canine lupus. She lost all her pigment (vitiligo) and started having issues with vasculitis and inflammation. She has been on a regimen of medication, supplements, and a special diet ever since. A few months ago she had a stroke (an actual stroke, not "dog stroke"), but she survived and recovered. I still take her for walks every night and give her her pills (5) every day. Angel also has several lipomas (benign fatty tumors) on her body. They don't hurt her or interfere with her quality of life at all, so we just keep an eye on them. These days I call the old girl "Lumpy". Since her stroke she has also gone completely deaf, but she's still happy and lively as ever. Well, OK, she has slowed down a little, but she's still vibrant, playful, and full of life.
Having a dog with health problems has taught me so much about service to others, selflessness, giving, and loyalty. It hasn't always been easy caring for a sick dog, but wouldn't trade it for the world.
I know Angel will not be with us that much longer since she is old and keeps developing new health problems, but I have the privilege of knowing that she was a gift to us for all the years we have had her.
San Diego, CA
