Fewer than five minutes ago, at 11:52 PDT today, Sunday 23rd August 2015, Jim Goodbrod euthanised our Lilly.
Lilly, aged seventeen, started to decline about a year ago. In the last few weeks she had become progressively weaker, she was hardly eating and had lost much body mass, her kidneys were close to total failure and it was clear to Jean and me that she was close to what could in all likelihood be a painful end. So much better for Lilly that her end should be peaceful and pain-free, as it most clearly was.
Lilly was found by Jean sixteen years ago with her five young, suckling puppies in a car mechanics workshop in San Carlos, Mexico and has been loved and cared for by Jean right up to the end. Most Mexican street dogs barely live for a couple of years.
All of our dogs are special yet the odds of any other of our dogs living seventeen human years is very low.
I intend to republish tomorrow and Tuesday two posts of Lilly in homage of this wonderful, gentle and loving dog.
Let me leave you with this photograph of Jean and Lilly from earlier last year.
Learning from Dogs 
I hope that Lily is running and prancing over the rainbow bridge. Dogs are such a treasure in our lives that sometimes we forget that they won’t be there by our side forever. But they each share a special spot in our hearts forever. Dogs don’t die they just snuggle up in our hearts forever.
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What a beautiful way to make your acquaintance in this place. Thank you, and thank you so much for leaving such a sensitive reply.
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She’s beautiful. My heart goes out to you. I have my own furry friend here, aged sixteen and a half, and although she’s in no pain as of yet, she’s had a few operations to remove tumours, and we’ve been told she will not be with us for very long now. They change our lives, and who we are, for the better dogs, and I can’t imagine ever being without her. But it will happen. I’m so sorry for your loss, but glad that your gains, and Lilly’s too, were and are so great. In peace. Sonmi X
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Sonmi, I will read your reply out to Jeannie in a while. I know, that as with me, she will be very grateful for your sympathetic words.
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It is always sad to say goodbye but she had a long and good life with your family.
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My reply to you in precisely the same emotional place as my reply to Sonmi. Lilly’s body was taken to our local crematorium in Grants Pass who kindly brought in staff to receive Lilly on a Sunday. We returned home about thirty minutes ago.
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I’m so sorry to hear this sad news. I’m glad that Lilly had such a caring and loving home all those years.
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Dearest sister, how very sweet of you to leave that lovely reply. Thank you, and fondest love from Jeannie and me. xxxxx
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Such an emotionally charged time for you and Jean, I know Paul; and how could it be otherwise when love moves, mysteriously yet certainly, into another way of being? As William Penn said, love is eternal, yet the limits of our sight can make it seem beyond Penn’s horizon just for a moment. And then we come back to realizing it is not in the end a matter for the eyes, but for the heart alone, where it always resided, and always will.
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Oh Hariod, the gorgeous, caring connections we can now make these days courtesy of this digitally connected world. Your thoughts are so wonderful.
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Such a sad time that touches our hearts deeply. They are all so special. Sending love and light to you and Jean. Lilly will have a special place in your hearts forever.
She was such a lucky girl to be loved so much 💛
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Val, as I implied in my reply to Hariod just a few moments ago, we are able to reach out across the world, reach out with our hearts and share the moments of joy and of sadness, and it makes such a difference. Thank you.
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Yes Paul – reaching out and supporting each other with loving connection makes this world a better place … And eases our sorrow. xo
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🙂
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I often say that it’s unfair they should only live as long as they do… I’m very sorry about your sweet Lilly. I know exactly how hard this is but I can only imagine them transcending to a beautiful place where their pure spirits live happily. Like Lilly is now, after a happy loving life. I can’t help but remember the words of that kid about his dying dog: “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.” They are indeed born with the knowledge of giving love.
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Another deeply sensitive and loving reply. Thank you so much.
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Dear friends,
Earlier this evening I read out aloud all the beautiful responses from you to Jean and she wishes you all to know how greatly moved she was by your loving kindness.
Thank you from us both.
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What a wonderful dog Lilly was! And what a wonderful life she had with you. I have a 17 year old Cairn terrier – Max, ( plus a much younger Jack Russell cross, 4 cats and some pet chooks and pet ducks.) Max is mostly blind and deaf but still enjoys his food – only the best of course. My neighbour up the road and I were chuckling the other day about what great lives our pets have. She even gives her two dogs and two cats a hot water bottle each on winter nights even though they all sleep indoors in a cosy house.
It’s difficult when they get old. You don’t want to end their lives too early, but you don’t want to leave it until there’s a health emergency when they are distressed. Max suffered a few fits a month or so back, had an eye removed a year ago and a 2 lb (!) lipoma hanging from underneath his stomach completely removed by an excellent veterinary surgeon two years back. He sleeps a lot, doesn’t walk far but there is nothing wrong with his sense of smell or appetite! Every day is a bonus at the moment. I monitor him closely and hopefully I’ll get the timing right. Dogs are such wonderful creatures and your blog is rightly named.
I congratulate you on the love and care you provided to Lilly and no doubt to all your pets. I only wish that there were more human beings like you in the world.
– Margaret, Port Sorell, Tasmania, Australia
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Margaret, another beautiful reply. Thank you, and a very warm welcome to this place. Must say that you live in a very lovely part of the world.
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Margaret, I have just your reply out aloud to Jean and she was greatly moved by your generous thoughts.
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Oh Paul.. I wish I had read this post first .. instead of my usual backwards progression.. So please strike my comment upon your next post.. I obviously didn’t read it correctly..
You both know you have my heart.. And I have tears.. and so will stop..
❤ Love to you both.. xxxxxxxxx
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Sue, don’t be hard on yourself. I’m going to leave both replies as they are. For they were both written with sincerity and love. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
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❤ Love and my thoughts are with you both xxx
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Big hugs, and dog licks, returned.
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So sorry to read this Paul. Love and thoughts to you and Jean, from Ruth. (Unfortunately my pic isn’t coming up, but it is me.)
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The absence of your picture doesn’t devalue the warmth of your reply, Ruth. Thank you from both of us.
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I am so sorry for your loss.
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Made so much more bearable by the loving thoughts and words from you and so many others. Thank you.
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Take care
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