I'll be honest, I have never been so emotional over an animal in my entire life. And I guess to some extent, Bailey wasn't just an animal, she was a member of our family. I remember when we went to pick her up, somewhere near Evergreen, Colorado. My brother and I didn't know we were getting a puppy, but I remember how thrilled we were when we realized it. The breeder brought the dogs in, a line of five or six yellow lab puppies. Then came a straggler, a puppy walking in a bit slower than the rest. She stopped, looked at us and proceeded to pee on the floor. We knew then we had found our dog.
We named her Bailey, after the first town we ate breakfast in in Colorado. Little did we know, Bailey is a pretty common dog's name. But every time someone told us they had a dog named Bailey, my dad would always say, "Yeah, but I bet they're not named after Bailey, Colorado," and sure enough, they never were.
Bailey was an amazing dog. She wasn't "anyone's" dog really, but loved each of us equally...although I won't lie, I think she was partial to my Dad and me. When I left for college, the first semester I was gone, Bailey took all her toys and piled them up outside my door . . . if that's not a sign, I don't know what is.
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I have the fondest of memories of my puppy. From our long runs, to eventually our long walks. I remember playing fetch with her and letting her sleep in my bed (against my dad's protests). She used to sleep literally like a person, with her head on the pillow, taking up the majority of the bed. I remember how crazy she'd get after the bear would pay us a visit and I remember how much she loved just laying outside in the garage watching people walk by. She never ran away, never bit anyone, and would never take a treat until you told her it was ok. She loved it when I spilled ice in the kitchen, because she'd get to lick it up and she couldn't stand my mom cleaning her ears. She gave high fives and kisses and would immediately run for her bed when you told her it was time to go "night night." She was simply the best dog we've ever had.I went home last weekend and my mom told me Bailey had been bit by a bee. Her ear was swollen with fluid and I spent most of Saturday researching how to make it better. We gave her benadryl, I tried to get her to let me ice her ear, which wasn't easy. Mom and dad planned to take her to the vet the following Monday to see if they could drain the fluid. But it was more than just a bee sting. Bailey's allergies were worse than ever, her paws were swollen and chewed and it looked like she was developing a tumor on her paw. She had an extremely difficult time climbing the stairs and would often wait at the base of the stairs for hours until someone forced her to make the trek. She was getting old and while none of us thought she'd go this soon, we all knew it was coming. The vet said she was in a lot of pain and he felt it was time. My mom made the decision and that was it, our beloved Bailey Bails was gone.
The first few days were difficult, I cried even thinking about her. The days have begun to get better, but even as I write this post, tears are welling in my eyes. Bailey was part of our family for nearly half my life...wherever we went, Bailey went. Whenever I came home, before I even said hello to my parents, I yelled out for Bails. It's still unbelievable to me that she's no longer here. I think part of me feels like she's just at the kennel and Mom and Dad haven't gone to pick her up yet...but I know better.
I know my puppy-girl is in a better place, she's not suffering anymore, she's at peace, but it still hurts. I still miss her. We were truly blessed to have such an amazing dog. I'm thankful she loved us as much as we loved her and deep down I know she's up in Heaven playing with her stuffed "babies" without a care in the world.
Take care old girl, be good, we love and miss you Bails.
