Princess Tessie was almost 13 when we had to put her down. This is one of the first pictures we took of her. She had the silkiest fur. The vet techs always called her "Rabbit Fur."
She was our rescue puppy and had a rough beginning. We don't know everything just what we can speculate. We took her from our good friends in hopes that Buttercup, then about a year old, would have a friend. Tes wouldn't let you near her. If you tried to pet her, she would zoom off like a cheetah and cower in the corner. Literally, shaking from fear and trying to hide from you. We couldn't handle this and knew we had two options: (1) let her be and hope she came out of it or (2) what I like to call, "Aggressive Love Therapy." The vet said she had been abused, she had deep knots most likely from a previous owner (not our friends) kicking her, and that she would take a lot of patience. We opted for #2 :) Basically, we FORCED her to spend time with us. If we had company, she was allowed to go hide, but if it was just Bobby, Buttercup, and I she had to be in the room with us. We started by using baby gates to lock her into one room (wherever we were) and eventually moved to making her sit with us on the couch or floor, again forcing her to let us pet her or hold her. I can remember literally diving at her, wrestling her into my arms, and carrying her to the couch so we could cuddle. I know it sounds mean, but it worked!
Within a year she was following us around and sitting next to us and allowing us to pet her. Another 6 months after that she would sit and paw us until we loved on her. She eventually even started giving doggie kisses! Finally she came around to some of our visitors.
The second half of her life was a breeze; she was literally our princess. Tessie was always so very sweet, a scaredy cat, and big lap dog. When we moved from McMinnville to Southaven, she really flourished and "came out of her shell." Over the years, we had numerous growths removed from her body and face. About a year ago, she started losing weight no matter how much she ate and we knew that she probably had cancer. This past summer, Tessie started having seizures and numerous, daily mini strokes. Our vet and friend, told us that her likely cancer had moved into her brain and was now causing neurological problems. Her entire demeanor had changed, she was like a full-grown puppy. We put her on a seizure medication and tried to make the most of our time left. After Thanksgiving, we knew her time had come and we said our goodbyes. The medication was no longer working, she could barely walk without have a mini stroke, and lost complete control over her bladder. She
(Always wanted to be rubbed)
It has been a little over a month and we all still miss her. Buttercup has taken over the roll of big, cuddly lap dog when we are home and has anxiety attacks when we have to leave her. Aylin randomly asks about her, wants to know when she will wake up and get better. But overall, we have all adjusted and are making the most of our wonderful life together. Thank you Tessie for making our lives that much more blessed.
Below are a few pics of Tessie's last days with us:
(Her puppy look)
(Her normal, old girl look)
(Buttercup saying goodbye to her best friend and sister)
(Aylin and Hilton saying goodbye to the sweetest girl ever)
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