Dec. 21 will ALWAYS be Duchie day

[Rae]

I miss my girl... so much. But she had a great life with me, for double the number of years her life was far from great... I think I did what I was supposed to do for her.

I was looking back in my phone photos last night to clear off some space, and now (only now) do I see how decrepit the poor darling got there toward the end. I have the acupuncture pics, the frosty face, the lumps and bumps of old age pics... and I wept.

"I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance."

She taught me about love, and loss, and putting someone else before myself... and I loved her so, so, so damn much.

That is all.

[oceangirls]

All I got is hugs . We understand.

[LexieLuvr]

They teach us WAY more than we teach them.

[lotsadox]

[Lisa]

Duchie is a very special angel girly. Love you Rae.

[Alex's Mom]

Yup. (And I feel the same way when I look at the last few pics of Alex...but they went on their own terms, when they were ready, and in honouring that, we did a good thing.)

Love you.

[Yolanda]

"I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance."

She taught me about love, and loss, and putting someone else before myself... and I loved her so, so, so damn much.

That is all.

Hey Girl Friend,

Change the She to He and we are talking Goosie. I so agree with your comments

[SasatheRusty]

I know the Duchie is always with you and she is wagging her tail whenever you think of her. Since I don't know the story of how she came to you, would you mind telling it? 🎀

[Rae]

Kleenex alert. Here it is. (Copied and pasted from last year.... I cannot edit and change it to past stense. Just... can't. Thanks for understanding.)

for those of you who do not know my baby's story, this is a very special time for us. Will try to keep it short and not too teary eyed.

On December 21, 2000, Satan (my ex) was out in the barn getting hay for our bull. It was incredibly cold for KY, and we had had a major ice storm. God was with my little girl, as Satan chose to use his hands rather than the pitchfork that day. He reached in the middle of the bale and thought he had grabbed a rat (hey they like to keep warm too you know) . Thank goodness he did not have gloves on and felt the cold wet nose and the faint weak lick on the back of the hand.

He later told me that he figured out it was not a rat, and then "I just started pulling and there was this realllllllly long dog- it just kept unwinding"...

He called me at work and told me he had found a Bassett Hound, and it would probably be dead by the time I got home but if I wanted to try and save it I better come home early ... Bassett Hound- he never was too bright.

I got home in record time to find this tiny little dachshund, emaciated to the point of near death, almost frozen, dehydrated, and with little will to live. I immediately put a basket of towels in the dryer and heated them up, then buried her right in the middle. Off to the vet, clothes basket in tow I went. After a big juicy bag of IV fluid, he gave her a 50/50 chance of making it, and home we went. Dr Buddy assured me that if she had spent one more night outside it would have been her last.

I warmed up some (I know, I know) Alpo canned food and she perked right up when I waved it under her snoot. A whole can and a bowl of water later, we were snuggled up on the couch in a blankie with the heating pad on low. She was terrified of Satan, and for years she was scared of most all men.

I found out two days later on our vet checkup that she was 5+ years old and had been a puppy mill mommy. The scars and stitches and tattoo on her poor mangled belly told a horrible story. (She doesn't even have the right number of nipples, they did such a horrible job sewing her up....) It seems there had been a mill operating in our general area but no one could find it.

We believe she either escaped or was kicked out, and she has either been spayed (poorly) or had trauma because she has not come in heat since I have had her.

OK OK... Wipe your eyes, and fast forward to now. HRH The Duchess of Wagoner sleeps on a fluffy pillow in her crate by the bed (or sometimes in the hoomon bed), she has plenty to eat and drink and all the belly rubbins any one pupper could ask for. Most important of all she is loved and is part of two families, one at home and one here at the DLC. She goes to "Gran's" when Mommy and Daddy go out of town, and she gets presents at Christmas. She is welcome anywhere Mommy goes, or Mommy just doesn't go there anymore.

She has no fear of her Hoo-daddy Sutton because he tells her she is worthless and not worth the price of a bullet.... in baby talk as her rubs her tummy and gives her a cookie.

She was and continues to be the best Christmas gift I ever received, and I firmly believe she was sent to me straight from heaven, because tinky breaf and all she is Mommy's Girl and dearly dearly loved.

So- Happy Gotcha, love of my heart.

[Alex's Mom]

Oh man. In tears...again.