Junebug

We put our sweet Junebug down today. It's always such a hard decision. She fractured her leg Nov.10 and it was x-rayed again on Jan.10. That xray showed extensive damage to the bone and cancer growth into the surrounding tissue. It was decided at the time to keep the leg in the splint and continue with the pain meds. Something changed that day though. Though she never whined or complained, it was obvious that the extra pressure on her good paw was starting to take its toll. She was only getting up twice a day - to eat and toilet, morning and evening. Last night, I caught her licking the dressing and realized there must be an infected wound underneath. Today, we had the vet come to the house to put her down. The other dogs had a chance to say their goodbyes. My son and I were with her until her last eyebrow wiggle (I'm sure the wiggles continued past the heart beats). Her last sounds were the chuffing noise she makes when she's dreaming about chasing bunnies (though she has more experience with chickens, now that I think about it.)

Junebug was a large dog with an equally large personality. The house already feels empty without her. Borzoi are such a unique breed. Even on this last day, we were marveling over her unusual shape and gorgeous coat. I can't help but wonder how long it will take to get used to being able to leave food out on the counter or the toilet lid up. We got a little snow today and I remembered that I will no longer have my cold weather indicator (the colder it is, the more frequently I had to let her out). She wasn't the easiest dog I've owned, but she certainly was the most unique. I'm glad we got to share 7 1/2 years with her. Thank you to NBRF for granting us that time. Jennifer Cotton Jan 23, 2023