Harley & Elivs - A Yorkie story that simply touched my heart

[ShardaBaker]

Hello guys this email was sent to me by Connie White.

I'm very touched with this email and I think that we could all learn a thing or too with Connie's experience.

Here's her message;

Hey Sharda,

Your newsletter is "right on." We are the proud owners of 4 Yorkies - I always wanted a Yorkie as I love babies, and these little guys remind me so much of them.

I had no intentions of writing you this lengthy email, but your newsletter inspired me. Maybe it's part of the grieving process. I hope you don't mind.

We bought our first Yorkie in Nov. 2001 from a family who bought him from the breeder; they sold Harley because he just wouldn't leave their older female alone (Harley was about 3 months). He stole our hearts and won us over; I now had my "baby."

We contacted a dog trainer (Harry) who started coming to our house in March; we called it the "Harry and Harley Show." It was so neat to watch Harry train Harley with a ball; consequently, he loved balls the rest of his life.

We fully believe that the training Harley received created a special bond between him and us that is not between the others and us. We didn't have training for the other four, but they certainly trained us! In June we bought a female (Roxi) from a breeder; she was 12 weeks.

She and Harley got along well (we'd since neutered Harley). I never wanted to leave these little guys.

May 2003 we bought a "tea cup" Yorkie; she was adorable and provided us with so much fun and laughter; she'd sit on my shoulder when I was sitting in the recliner.

Unfortunately, she got sick in July (only had her two months) and passed away. Broke my heart as I learned from a vet that I started going to afterward, that if my former vet had done certain things when I had her at his office the day before, she would have lived.

Then a stray Yorkie (can you believe it?) wandered into our lives Oct. 2003; I believe this was God's way of helping us cope with Chloe's death. We didn't know his name or how old he was, so we named him Toby (Toby Keith was popular then). So now we have our three Yorkies.

But wait, we just didn't have enough, so my husband contacted a breeder who was a friend of Roxi's breeder, and we now have Elvis in the house. He was so darling.

When we picked him up from the breeder, I started crying as I felt I was being cruel for taking him away from his "mom." She told me then that I would never be a breeder.

How prophetic! Our plan was to use him as a sire for Roxi, but unfortunately, we had to have her spayed as she had cancer in one of her teats, and I didn't want to take any chances. I always referred to Elvis as "the baby."

Then June 2007, Roxi's breeder let me have one of Roxi's litter mates, Sophie. Sophie had several litters of pups, and the breeder wanted to downsize on her "pup-ulation" So now our Yorkie family is complete: Harley, Roxi, Toby, Elvis, Sophie.

Were they a lot of work? You bet ya! And sometimes I did feel overwhelmed as I did work (school teacher), and these little guys had accidents (we took out all carpeting in our home and had tile laid).

These guys had the run of the house, but there was an area they tended to gravitate, so we just put puppy pads down. But we had to be very cognizant of the fact that they could really hurt themselves on the tile.

I couldn't wait to get home from school to be greeted by my "flock." They were excited to see me, but I was more excited to see them!

We took them to the groomers once a month as we had them cut like Schnausers since we live in a hot climate and weren't showing them. Then my husband learned how to groom on utube last year, and now he grooms them; he does a pretty good job!

All was going so well, and then Dec. 2008, Harley became ill, so the vet opened him up to make sure he didn't have cancer; thankfully he didn't. But eventually he was diagnosed with a condition known as PLE (protein losing enteropathy).

We'd never heard of it, but looked up info on the internet - outlook looked bleak. But we weren't giving up. He did have to be put on special dog food; at first Prescription Z/D; then Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat (can/dry).

Of course, he didn't like having to switch from the boiled chicken, sometimes boiled liver, and doggie treats that he had been able to eat; I didn't blame him. Plus, the other 4 could eat other brands of dog food; they really didn't like what he ate either.

Please know that I bought/buy food at pet stores or vets as I want good quality food for my pups. Anyway, about Sept. 2009, Harley had to begin heta starch treatments as his stomach became bloated frequently, so we were in and out of the vets' and many times the emergency vets' offices.

When Western meds didn't seem to be working our vet suggested we try Chinese meds; we said let's go for it; the poor little guy had to take so many meds every day. Both of his front paws were always shaved for the IV.

Thank goodness I'd retired as I just don't think I could have handled it all (my husband said I could and would have). Then Mar. 2010, our vet set us up an appt. with Dr. Xie at the University of Florida for accupuncture; we didn't notice a notable change; we went back for accupuncture in April; still no noticeable change, and Harley still had to be put on hetastarch - more frequently now.

We noticed Harley's demeanor changing - depressed; but he did rally every now and then. In May, (Harley's vet was on her honeymoon) another vet in the office told us that Harley's condition was not getting any better; his veins (where IV for hetastarch and lately calcium) were weak.

Oh, but we wanted our Harley to live; he was the leader of the flock and the love of our lives! And he was just shy of his 9th birthday; he was still young! So our hearts and heads were in a war; heart says, "don't put him down keep him alive for 'you';" head says, "his quality of life is not as it is supposed to be; do the right/humane thing and put him to rest."

Our vet assured us throughout his ordeal that he was not in pain or that would have sealed his fate long ago.

So, sadly May 18, 2010, we made that heart-wrenching decision to have one of the vets from the practice come to our house to perform the duty they are not "trained" to do. We picked Harley up from the vet's; stopped off at the grocery store and bought him his last toy ( he loved going through plastic bags digging for what he hoped would contain a toy).

Indeed, he dug in that bag and pulled out the toy. Then we drove through McDonald's and bought him a cheeseburger and fries. Incidentally, the lady at the window saw Harley and said, "Oh what a cute dog!" She gave him a Chicken McNugget.

We pulled over in the parking lot and let Harley eat his "last meal." He gobbled it down savoring a taste he hadn't had in a long time. Then as he leaned his head out of the truck's window, hair blowing in the wind, he headed home to his Yorkie family who greeted him with yips and yaps as the King entered his kingdom.

We had about 5 1/2 hours to spend with Harley until "Dr. Death" was to arrive. As you can imagine, we spent much time crying, hugging, kissing, just loving on him. We in turn received lots of kisses from our sweet boy. We took pictures and video taped him - we tried our best to savor these last few hours.

The vet along with two techs arrived after they got off work; we put the other 4 in the bedroom as we wanted his final minutes to be calm. Since Harley still had the tube in his paw from the heta starch, we didn't experience veins collapsing, thank goodness.

Our Harley went peacefully over the Rainbow Bridge. We brought the other 4 out so they could smell his body and sense that he was "gone." I held him in my arms - not wanting to relinquish him to another's. I walked the vet and techs out as Harley's lifeless body was taken away.

For several minutes after everyone drove off, I stood sobbing in the garage. Still not believing that Harley would never again greet me at the door with his wagging nub, play games, or protect me.

Life at our house was now different, not only for us, but also for the others. We were all (including the other 4) in mourning.

Kleenex was my constant companion. I didn't want to eat, get dressed, do anything. I'd look in Roxi's eyes and see sadness as well. It was awful. But I knew I had to "live,' so I gradually began getting back in the old routine.

Lamar had put together a beautiful cd of video and pictures we had of Harley (he spent over 100 hours putting this together). I wrote a poem about Harley. June 1 we had a few friends over to our home for a memorial for Harley.

My husband found some English beer (in honor of Yorkies), so we all toasted Harley; then he gave us each a tennis ball (Harley loved tennis balls); we dropped our ball on the ground - Harley would have gone crazy trying to scoop them up.

Then we went out to the swimming pool and dropped a toy into the water - Harley loved nudging his toys into the pool as the others barked and nipped at his back paws. As Harley's eyes were fixated on his toy, my husband or I would retrieve it for him.

He loved all of this attention. He had that special bark that let us know there was a toy in the pool. Afterward, we ate some refreshments and watched the video - which ellicited so many emotions - sadness for our loss, laughter for his antics.

Finally, I shared my poem. I know Harley loved his memorial.


..to be continued...

[ShardaBaker]

The letter is too long for one post so here's the continuation;

After Harley's passing, I was very clingy with my other 4, knowing how life can change in an instant. I didn't want to leave them, and if I did, it wasn't for very long.

Now, mind you we boarded Harley twice his whole life; never boarded the others; had a pet sitter twice for all of them. We just stay home with them (they provide us with "free" entertainment) or we take them with us.


Then fifteen days after Harley's passing, one day after Harley's memorial the unimaginable occurred.

I always give my pups treats; they like boiled sandwich chicken. So the night of June 2, I gave them their "treat" (chicken). Several hours elapsed; we let them outside. We usually accompany them outdoors, but this night they went out alone; I was nearby in the kitchen.

No more than ten minutes had elapsed when I went to the door to let them in. Roxi, Toby, Sophie came running up to the door; looking out, I saw Little Elvis - inert - eyes glaring. I screamed for my husband who came running out.

He scooped up our "baby's" limp body, brought it into the house and administered CPR/Heimlich; stuck his finger down his throat; nothing was working. I ran next door to get a lady who is a tech at our vets'; she ran with me back to our house.

Sadly, she confirmed Elvis's death. How could this happen? I just lost one 15 days ago; now this! Again, I held another limp body in my arms sobbing all the while. My husband performed his duty and got a box to put Elvis's lifeless body in.

I just couldn't figure out what caused his death. He had had his shots that morning. AHA - those did it. Our vet wanted to know as I did what caused this tragedy, so a necropsy was performed. Was it the shots? Was it the chicken? Was it a heart attack?

After the necropsy, our vet contacted my husband to tell him the results of the necropsy; I was not told at that time, so I called the vet. There were so many unanswered questions. She told me Elvis had choked on a piece of chicken!

Of course, I was mortified. I asked her if it was a big piece - did I give him too big a piece? She said "no" that it was far down his throat and she almost missed seeing it. So my barrage of questioning continued - did he suffer? could I have saved him if I had been out there with him? did he look for me to help him?

Most of these questions will never be answered, and that will haunt me forever. The guilt I feel is great, even though I know I would never do anything to hurt my "babies." I so hope Elvis knew this; I think he did. So as we did with Harley, we had his little body cremated.


So in 15 days, we went from five Yorkies who snuggled up to us on our bed every night to three. Now as I lay my head on my pillow, tears come frequently for the loss of these two special guys.

Yes, we still have three remaining, but they are now older and very laid back; our household was lacking "life," so we did what was right for us and added a Yorkie puppy whom we named Ace to our very depressed household.

We've had him just over a week. This 1.8 lb. little guy has brought much laughter and fun back into our lives. The other three, I'm sure, are still struggling in their own way with the absence of Harley and Elvis, so Ace's presence isn't making them laugh, but I'm hopeful that one day real soon they will welcome Little Ace into the "flock,"

Because Ace reminds us so much of Harley, we contacted Harry, the dog trainer, to come to our home to "train" Ace. We met with Harry today; it was so good to see him; it brought back so many wonderful memories from 8 years ago. And I know Harley is looking down with his approval.

In all of this, my hope is that potential Yorkie owners know how special this breed is; they truly are like children, and they certainly tug at your heart strings.

These little guys need and deserve "parents" who are home most of the time, who will let them on their laps, who will give them lots of praise and love, and understand that even though they are terriors, they are fragile - they can accidentally be stepped on , slammed in doors, fall off chairs, beds, etc. They must be watched especially when they are puppies. A bird or an owl could easily carry off a small Yorkie.

If I had been a breeder (Elvis's breeder was so correct as I couldn't let the little guys go), I would always provide the new owner with reading material about the Yorkie prior to allowing my charge to go to his/her new home; some may decide they just don't want this breed, but better to learn this before it's taken off than afterward.

I would not sell my pups before they are 12 weeks old (most reputable breeders won't). I would not sell any of my pups to families with small children.

Finally, I would trust my instincts - if it didn't "feel" right to me for whatever reason, noone would walk out with one of my pups no matter how much money was offered. Sadly, some breeders do not subscribe to my criteria, and that is sad. Yorkies deserve special treatment in special homes.

As I sit now with my four little guys either on my lap or surrounding me, I feel so blessed that they and the others came into my life.

Yes, losing one or in my case two so close together is tragic, but even more tragic to me would be to go through life without ever having my Yorkies!


Connie White

[Sarah]

Thank you Sharda for posting this story. and thank Connie for sharing it.

[mia]

Hi Connie and your husband,

My heart goes out to you in your loss. I have a Yorkie and three Chihuahua's and also a Golden. They are my life, I could not imagine life without them.

It took me all afternoon to get through your email, I just had to walk away several times and compose myself because I know exactely how you feel and I shed many tears.

Good Luck with your new baby Ace, I am sure he will bring much happiness and laughter into your life. My little Yorkie is still a baby to and you never know what cuteness you will see next.

Hang in there, you never ever get over the loss but it does get a bit easier with time. When my Persian went to Kitty Heaven 8 years ago I said I would never have another pet, but after 2 years I needed someone and now look at me now with 5 dogs.

Take Care and Lotza Love to you both.

Mia

[ShardaBaker]

yes I understand what you mean Mia. It just crushed my heart and left me with tears in my eyes.

Like you I couldn't finish the story in just one sitting.

Thank you Sarah and Mia for your comments.