Andre picked Kahlua out from all of the dogs at the Round Rock Animal Shelter back in the spring of 1995. She was a border collie mix and as a puppy she was funny looking, to say the least. Several of her friends tried to talk her out of picking this puppy but Andre could not be deterred.She's been a part of our life for the past 15 years. For a good part of those 15 years, she resided at 1702 Norris Dr but she never forgot who her master was. Weeks or months could pass between visits but when Andre walked in, Kahlua would get especially excited.
She was not an aggressive dog unless she was chasing a possum away from the cats food outside. She had a great relationship with the various cats that we've had. She became the companion of the builders and remodelers that walked through the doors and worked on our house. They rewarded her with lunch from Taco Cabana. She was the only dog I ever saw do the downward dog Yoga pose when meeting someone new or getting ready for a walk. When we walked to the corner store, she would sit patiently outside waiting for the trip back home.
Dogs don't mark time with life events, emotional drama, successes or failures. They are like the reliable grandfather clock that keeps on ticking while the household around them goes through storms and changes. You really get lulled into a belief that they will be there forever.
A few weeks ago, Kahlua started wheezing, stumbling and she lost her appetite. Mary took her to the vet last Thursday and she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her throat. It was decided that she needed to be put to sleep.
Rather than putting her through another visit to the vet, we decided to euthanize her at home. We found a really nice mobile vet that came over this afternoon and took us through the process. Andre came over with her boyfriend and Mary and Emily were here. The normal way of saying goodbye in a vets examining room and then having her led away wasn't appealing at all. It was a little troubling to actually see the procedure but it was the right thing to do.
