Rest in Peace Lil' Abbner

Abby started out her journey to me by being rescued from a kill shelter in Georgia and then transfered to the CT Humane Society where she became the pet of the week on the radio station Country 92.5. Someone special must have seen a scared little girl in her eyes, begging to be saved from the stick of the needle or gas chanber or whatever method they use there to kill healthy and treatable animals. I adopted Abby because I had recently lost a dog that looked just like her and once I and her soon to be BFF Rudy met her the deal was sealed. There was another family there wanting to take her home, but I was there first and the only car she was getting in was mine. Plus hind sight is 20/20 and that family had a young child and Abby was not a fan of small children. She never reacted negatively towards them, but they made her feel anxious with their fast movements and noises. Abby was an independent, strong minded dog who loved hiking, camping, doing charity events, riding in the car, shopping at the pet store, and hanging out with her best bud Rudy. As the years went by and the family parted geographically, my family and I made sure that Abby and Rudy stuck together despite living over an hour apart. We would switch off so that everyone had quality time together, but Rudy and Abby always stayed together.

Abby always wanted to go or do something. She never slowed down. It was only in the last week of her life that mobility became an issue, but it did not stop her from trying. At over 15 years old she was still walking and hiking for miles and miles. This past January she had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from her ear canal. She had a total ear canal abblation and osteotomy (TECABO). It took a long time to recover, but she pulled through and was right back to where she had left off. When we discovered that she had cancer throughout her body in July I took her for some day trips to VT, NH, and MA so she could hit all her favorite pet stores up north and do some hiking. She was not letting her diagnosis slow her down (you can view posts about some of those trips on facebook and this webpage). I took her to places in VT where I had hoped to take her this October for a camping trip because I thought she may not be around for it. My fears came true. Like I said Abby did not want to stop living. I had to tell her to stop, that it was ok to rest now. I reminded her of all the things that she had done with me, Ruddy, Bucky (passed away this past March), Jackie (passed away about 5 years ago) and JJ over the years and at that point I saw her relax a bit and be more at ease. The look in her eyes had changed - she was ready. When the vet came Rudy, JJ, myself, and the cats that loved to sleep on the bed with her were there to say goodbye. Abby went very peacefully. After I dug the hole for her I took her and Rudy and JJ out to the final resting place and had Abby's burial. The dogs knew Abby was gone - I let them sniff and say their goodbyes. Abby is with good company in the spirit world and I hope her spirit will return to visit her best friend Rudy and myself. When I take JJ on the camping trip this October it will not be the same without Abby there, but we will go in memory of her, knowing that she will be there on the journey with us in spirit. We love you Abby and miss you, most especially your best bud Rudy - please watch over him.