by Ellie Sylvester
Our little Lady Amanda - Mandy - was a wonderful pet. A miniature Schnauzer, she was full of vigor when I first met her. You see, I'm her stepmother, and have known her only five of her 13-1/2 years. But that doesn't lessen the grief I'm feeling at having to put her to sleep two days ago. She had critical kidney problems, and went downhill quickly in the last few months. Her last two weeks were very difficult for her, and for us. Our wonderful vet, Dr. Dave, did everything possible for her. But, as he stated, if she was human, she'd be on dialisys, waiting for a kidney transplant. Her last day had her eating small bits out of our hand, only to lose them a very short time later. When she couldn't even get to her pillow on the couch, we knew that we had to end her suffering. We stayed with her, and my husband cradled her all the way home. She's buried in our back flower garden, and rests on her favorite pillow. Near her is Graham, our cat that we lost two years ago. As hard as this has been, we're certain that Mandy and Graham are reunited at The Rainbow Bridge, waiting for us, and almost positive that Mandy has given chase to Graham at least once by now. We miss you, little baby girl.