I Won The Lottery

Not really. I had 4 dogs - Delila, Domino, Black Jack, and Jackpot. Dee and Dom were the parents, and BeeGee and Pot were the puppies. I write this with a heavy heart. This morning, my darling Jackpot was put down - the last of the four, at 15 years, 4 months, and 3 weeks of age. She lived the longest of the four. I knew this day was coming, but it does not make it any easier. She lived a very long and happy life, and she deserved every minute of that life - she brought such gentleness, and made us all so blessed to be in the presence of such a delightful creature.

She was the only puppy in that litter - a little unusual for a dog of Delila's size. When Delila was pregnant, I got this fortune at a Chinese restaurant

I realize that this is hard to see, but it is 15 years old. This is why I chose her name. She was so sweet, and always super fat - here is how she started out.

She was up for anything - I would stuff her fat little ass in lots of things and take her picture for laughs.

But don't get me wrong - I loved her, and she was absolutely beautiful - she was gray and white, while evryone else was black and white. My pool man, Nick, said that she was his favorite, because she was so sweet and pretty.

For the first 13 years of her long life, she was Black Jack's constant companion, through thick and thin. One time, they escaped, and got picked up by Animal Control. I had to bail them out. 600 dollars later, they were mine again. Doc said that she wasn't the mastermind, only a co-conspirator. Then BeeGee died, and she was Kenni's constant companion.

Well, that all changed last night. I was microwaving a snack, and I noticed that the water in the pool was churning, like someone was swimming. I looked, and Jackpot was struggling in the pool!!! So I dived in, clothes on, and saved her. But she kept trying to jump back in , so we took her inside. It was obvious that she was dying. She had agonal breathing and could not stand up. So we made the awful decision to put her down.

We brought her inside, and made her comfortable. In the morning, incredibly, she was still alive. We let Kenni in to say his goodbyes. I know this is nuts, but he howled all night long. He knew what was happening, even though he is really not a smart dog. The pathetic howling broke my heart - I cried all night long. I said my own good byes in the morning.

We took her in, and the vet agreed that it was the end for her, even though it was obvious. I cried and cried, and am still totally heartbroken. Good bye, my sweet darling little Jackpot. I have loved you every day of your very long life, and I will never forget you.  I hope that you are happy in dog heaven. You deserve it. I will nurse my broken heart, and will relish the time I had with your sweet, lovely, gentle soul for the remainder of my life - I know that when I die, I will see you, and all my beloved dogs, in heaven. God grant me peace, and joy in the knowledge that I loved you, and did whatever I could to make your life joyous.