She’s been gone almost seven days.

I now live in the after; there was the eighteen years I had a dog, and now the after when I don’t. I’m heartbroken.

I want to do a proper memorial post for Sophie, something positive and celebratory, but I’m still dragging myself through this swap of the after.

I’m trying to focus on the many ways in which I am lucky: I had those eighteen years. Her health was excellent for most of them and we managed the months it was not. And she was ready–it was the right decision. Since I made the call and started counting down our last two weeks, she rapidly began to deteriorate in a way even I wasn’t expecting; by the time last Tuesday rolled around, she didn’t even want to get out of bed and we moved up the home vet visit by a few hours so she didn’t have to wait any longer. She knew, she was ready. She went peacefully surrounded by those who love her–even her two cats sat on either side of her and watched. It was a good life lived, a good death. I am lucky.

The final veterinary and cremation costs were well over $500, plus two weeks of all her favourite (fucking $4/can) foods and freshly cooked chicken that cost god knows how much total–I am lucky I didn’t have to even think about it, from generous donations sent my way by friends and family. There was no scrambling to figure things out, and I got to spend her last days without taking time from her to worry about work. I am lucky.

Not a single person suggested to me she was “just a dog” or that my grief was/is misplaced; I am lucky (that I am not in jail for having to kill anyone for saying something stupid like that).

I have so many someones who care about me to check in and help out, chief among them a someone who would cross timezones and spend a small fortune to fly here last minute, rent a car, and ensure I didn’t fall into the black hole of depression and be unable to climb out again. I am lucky.

I am lucky. I am grateful. But I am still so wounded it’s hard to breathe.

The apartment is quiet now in a way I tried to prepare for but couldn’t. My life is quiet in a way I couldn’t anticipate. Everything about my entire day has always been about her: I got up because she had a food/meds/pee schedule, I dressed because she had to go out, I knew I took my meds because I had them after I gave hers. These last few weeks, I only slept when she did.

I expected to feel guilt for the fact that I’d be relieved I can now sleep the entire night through without stumbling down the stairs with her in my arms for a pee break, that I can sleep in, that I don’t need to climb over baby gates (meant to keep her from the kitchen floor where she could slip), that I don’t need to scramble to figure out how I would pay for her hundreds in medication this month, that I can leave the apartment for more than four hours at a time and don’t have to schedule it around her bathroom breaks, that I don’t have that constant knot of anxiety in my gut worrying about something happening to her.

But I don’t. There is no guilt because there’s no relief. I would happily spend the rest of my life with those sacrifices if it meant she could be here forever. The only relief to be found is that she’s free from any pain or discomfort.

Her two cats know something happened. What they understand, I can’t say, but they’re somber. I’m glad they were there to witness, that I didn’t just leave with her and have her not come back, although I’ve still found Doombuggy crying inside the door when she hears me come up the stairs, and Mo sits and looks at me with some sort of knowing in her eyes.

Tomorrow I have to ease back into work, to keep up the cleaning Dina did while she was here, to keep breathing (with the chemical assistance) even when I want to stop. Another tool for my coping toolbox: to not forget how so many rallied around me during this, and to not let myself slip over the edge when Dina and others were so willing to sacrifice (and spend) to keep me standing. That the value I can’t see in myself could not only be glimpsed in Sophie’s eyes but the eyes of those around me–if I pay attention and look.

It was three years ago today that I was dealt such a crushing blow, it still steals my breath and my will to live–and if you’d told me three years ago today that I’d still be standing, I wouldn’t’ve believed you. I’m here, in no small part, because Sophie needed me. Now she doesn’t, and I have to find a way to be here for myself.

When she was a puppy, she was a holy terror. Smart and energetic with a terrible attention span, she was hard to train and constantly in trouble.

The year before I got her Disney’s Tarzan released, and that first summer with her, the theme music was still on heavy rotation. I used to walk around with her cuddled to my chest singing that song, because I knew she might be a brat, but I knew no matter what anyone thought or said, she’d always be in my heart.

That wasn’t entirely accurate, though–she was my heart. And now it’s gone.

Still, I am lucky I recognized how special she was, that we had that bond right away. I am grateful.

This played while she took her last breath.

My dog is scheduled to die on April 24th.

I dislike the euphemisms people use for death, but particularly the animal ones. “Put down” is vile to me. “Put to sleep”, while I understand is meant to spare feelings, is distancing to the point of disconnecting–I think it makes it too easy for people to justify decisions that are often selfish. The cat is old and requiring a lot of care–it’s okay, it’s been “put to sleep”. That surgery is expensive–the dog can be “put to sleep”. The animal is inconvenient–we’ll have it “put to sleep”.

While I tend to prefer clinical terms (yes, I am that client at the vet office who says “defecate” instead of “poop”) and usually use euthanasia for that reason, I have veered toward much harsher language.

Kill. The word is kill. When you take a life, regardless of the reason or method, it is killing.

And I use that word deliberately to always keep at the forefront of my mind why that choice is the last choice; to not soften it for myself, to not make it easy, and to always feel the weight of it and not take it lightly.

Once she is gone, she’ll be gone. I will never see her again. I will never hold her again. I will never be comforted by her or walk her or chuckle as she chases Miss Dinah across the room. Guardianship of a life is a scared duty; choosing to end that life, not something to be done lightly.

So that’s what will happen: her life will be taken. She will be killed. I made the call to her longtime vet on the weekend, because she’s the only person I trust to tell me if it’s the wrong decision, and the person I’d want to be there for Sophie’s last moments even though she no longer works at the clinic in town. We discussed it, batted around some dates, and when I saw April 24th on the calendar, I knew that was the date.

Although it’s taken me a long time to realize, I do believe in miracles. And maybe there will be one. But that feels like the date, so it’s the one we’re planning for. My vet will come here for a home euthanasia, and Sophie can go with me and her kitties around her.

April 24th. Two weeks.

I know that I am lucky–I’ve had her for over half my life, since she was seven weeks old and I was seventeen. She’s had an amazingly long life and she’s not been in pain. She can go peacefully and loved. I’m incredibly grateful in many ways.

But I’m not ready. I’m not okay. I cry so hard it’s like my body forgets how to breathe then I have a panic attack because I can’t get any oxygen in. I can already see the Sophie-shaped hole in the apartment and my life and it’s like I’ve lost my heart.

She’s always been my heart and I don’t want to be in a world without her.

If you consider all of the horrible things that can happen to a person in eighteen years, realize the only constant has been her. Every loss, every trauma, every time I went through something I normally wouldn’t survive, she was there. She got me out of bed in the morning. She kept me breathing. She was there for me, the only place I could be truly vulnerable and raw, without having to be guarded against someone saying the wrong thing or hurting me. My entire world revolves around her–she is the more integral to my life than anyone. And now I’m losing the one I love most in this world, the one who has gotten me through every other terrible thing I’ve experienced in nearly two decades. I’m losing my heart and I will be alone.

To quote a friend’s tweets the other day, if you care about someone with mental illness, you have to love their pet. That animal is often the reason why they’re still alive–and I can tell you with all certainty that I wouldn’t be here today without Sophie as my companion.

I’ve already been self-isolating since last week and I’m retreating further because I just don’t have the energy to talk or reassure or breathe around others. It requires too much energy to hold it together and I’m tired. All I want to do is be with my dog, and finish some work so I can pay for the end of her life. I’ve thrown the news out on Twitter (and now my blog) which is impersonal but the best I can do right now, to let people know without having to have the same conversations over and over.

If you feel compelled to reach out, the kind words are appreciated, but understand I’m struggling to cope and can’t respond much right now. Here is a quick summary:

• How am I? Not okay. Devastated. Broken. Probably dehydrated because I can’t go more than five minutes without crying.
• You want to share your thoughts/opinions on my decision? Please don’t, unless it’s to say “You know what’s best and you’re doing the right thing.” Unless I’ve invited discussion, or you’re my veterinarian, my choices are not up for discussion.
• Sympathy/condolences: much appreciated, considering so few understand how devastating this is or even recognize this loss on the same level of human friends/family (if you imply, in any way, that she is “just a dog”, or my grief is somehow misplaced, you are dead to me and we will never speak again).
• Rainbow Bridge–no, just fuck off. I find the poem dismissive and saccharine and I truly hate it. If it brings you comfort, great, but it does not help me and I’m at the center of this ring so my comfort is more important than yours.
• I don’t want to talk about getting another dog. I’ve made the decision that I will reevaluate my life when (if?) I turn forty and decide then if I’m ready.
• Is there anything I need? First, I need my dog to not die until I do. Barring that, I need Ativan, but I’m out and it would take me three weeks to see my doctor who is a dick and would tell me to eat kale for my anxiety. I will accept booze (LCBO delivers–address is PO Box 1833/Campbellford ON/K0L 1L0, I like hard liquor and red wine). I will take money so toss a ten in the tip jar because I’m getting a $100+ urn, individual cremation, euthanasia, and hopefully soon a tattoo of her paw print, and I’m taking off the last couple of weeks of this month to be with her and grieve afterward, so Kenny is poor.

(Oh, I’m sorry, I’m supposed to say “No, I’m fine” or smile reassuringly because people just want to feel better and like they’ve at least tried–well, nope, I don’t do that. Those are the things I need: more time with my dog, Ativan or liquor, and cash since I have to pay someone to take my dog away from me forever and that’s surprisingly expensive for something so awful.)

Yes, my sharp edges are out in full-force; grief flicks a switch in me in which I lose empathy for others, and I am not safe to be around when that happens. To better understand, realize that when I lost my beloved cat I was incredibly bonded with in 2005, Peri from Lineage was born from that grief. So. It’s not pretty. It’s best to back away.

While I question over and over if this is right, I know there is no real answer to that. No way of knowing. I’ll never be certain if it’s right. But I look at her and the words from the last verse in a song play in my mind, and I think it’s maybe as close to right as we’re going to get.

You and me, we’ve seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary…and the soles of your shoes
Are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
But it’s nothing to cry about
‘Cause we’ll hold each other soon in the blackest of rooms

It probably won’t be soon, but I’ve asked Aunt Judy to come for her so she’s not alone.

Sophie has always gotten upset when I’m upset–thankfully she’s deaf now so doesn’t hear me crying, but she watches my expression. I’m trying to smile for her, praise her, love on her, celebrate her. Daily on Twitter I’ll post a picture–either from that day or a past one–to continue celebrating her life, under the hashtag #dailySophie if you’d like to follow along.

Two weeks. Eighteen years wasn’t enough, and two more weeks is nowhere near enough either.

My beloved dog turns eighteen in two months–an approaching date I hope we’ll see. And while I’m incredibly grateful to have had her as long as I have, at the same time it is fraught with worry.

I realize sometimes my steadfast insistence that I will do anything for her comes across as naivety–every time there’s a crisis (and they’re growing in frequency), well-meaning people see it fit to warn me that it “might be that time”.

I am not stupid. I am not blind. I live with her 24/7. I know I will lose her this year; I know no matter how prepared I am, I won’t be ready; I know this is coming because it is something I–quite literally–think about every single day. She is a toddler I can’t get a babysitter for; I carry her up and down the stairs four times a day, I medicate her, I experiment and do whatever I can to get her to eat, I wake up with her in the night, I sleep when she sleeps, I play with her, I clean her, I am ever-vigilant for clues because she can’t tell me how she’s feeling. The difference is that she is not a toddler I will get to see grow up–instead, I will watch her die. Soon.

People in my position don’t need warnings. Of course I am constantly monitoring her quality of life on a daily basis.

We need trust that we will make the right decision when it’s time; we need space to be able to air our worries without yet another reminder “they don’t live forever” or “you might have to make that decision soon”. Much of the time, I end up shutting down and dealing with these worries in private because it’s easier than have someone remind me of her mortality for the millionth time. (Multiple times now I have had to smile politely in the face of someone who felt it necessary to, upon hearing her age, say to me with a gasp, “Eighteen years! That’s like having a child–what are you going to do when she’s gone?” Well, I imagine myself saying, I don’t know about then, but right now I’m going to punch you in the fucking face for bringing it up.)

Every time I catch her sound asleep in the corner of my eye, my breath catches and I watch, living a lifetime without her in the instant I wait to see the rise and fall of her chest. I suspect it’s the permanent way my brain is wired from complex-PTSD as a child, but I spend every moment calculating and preparing and planning, so I’m “ready” for things, such as facing a life without her. It never stops. So no, I don’t need reminding.

In the fall, before she was diagnosed with canine cognitive dysfunction, I knew she was no longer herself and that it might be time to say goodbye; the medication worked wonders, though, and it’s bought us more time.

Tuesday night when she had an acute gastrointestinal issue that didn’t resolve with my usual tricks, I thought this might be it; fingers crossed, it’s better today after some meds from the vet, and it’s bought us more time.

Someday soon, there will be nothing that can buy us more time. Likely in a few months. Maybe in a few weeks. Perhaps even tomorrow.

But that day is not today. Death is not taking her without a fight; as long as she’s fighting, so will I fight for her.

I tense up at the sense of silent judgement sometimes–I know she’s lost a lot of weight, I know her mobility isn’t great, and I know how it can look to someone who doesn’t live with her or know her. “I just feel so bad for her,” pity spoken with that judgement.

Here’s the thing: Sophie does not feel bad for herself. She’s not in pain. She’s not depressed. She plays with her toys and chases the cat, as well as she’s able with the loss of muscle mass from Cushing’s. She brightly trots over to greet me whether I’ve been running errands for an hour or in the kitchen making dinner. She cuddles and eats and is happy still.

It’s hard to watch her deteriorate, yes, but that’s age.

Her life doesn’t lose its value because she needs help up and down the stairs; she doesn’t stop being my friend because I have to trick her a dozen ways to take her pills; there is no point in which money becomes more important than her quality of life. I’ve gotten a lot of, “I commend you–I don’t think I could do that” and I literally have no idea how to respond, because how can you not do this for the life you agreed to take on guardianship of? What other options are there? I’m not going to have my dog killed because it’s difficult to see her slow down–it’s not about my comfort, but hers. Our pets are expected to sacrifice so much for our schedules; we dictate absolutely everything in their lives. Why wouldn’t I do that for her in her last years?

I’ve also come to think that if I could invest as much love and care into myself that I do for her, perhaps I’d be unstoppable. Until such a time–if ever–that I can view myself that way, though, I will practice on my four-legged family.

I haven’t slept now in days, although she has finally–even though every hour I woke up in the night to check on her, she was sound asleep after days of exhaustion from being sick, I still couldn’t relax. Though able to go all winter around sick people without picking anything up, I’m so rundown now I’ve picked up a cold. The body’s reminder to slow and rest, I know. But alas, the calendar doesn’t stop while I take care of her, and I have loads of work to do to pay the vet from this week and my regular bills.

So if you want to do something for people in my position, don’t warn us or try to prepare us–we can do enough of that, I assure you. Don’t seek to comfort with that stupid fucking rainbow bridge poem or life after death affirmations–when she leaves me, she will be gone, and all dogs going to heaven does not make me feel any better. Don’t make your own difficulty in seeing the animal slowing down with age the focus rather than the feelings of the person living with them–because I assure you, having her at my side since I was seventeen, everything is infinitely harder for me.

Instead provide a safe space to talk without bringing up a beloved’s pet impending doom.

Reaffirm that the animal’s guardian knows best.

Hold space while they fear.

And if you don’t know what to say, hand them wads of cash for their considerable vet bills. Bring them a homecooked meal. Offer to help them clean. And honor the life they’ve worked so hard to take care of.