The Life of a Daisy is Fleeting

I cannot think of a better post to begin with than one that focuses on the first puppy I owned as an adult. When I was 20, Brian, my soon-to-be husband (who I have now been married to for 17 years), decided he was going to purchase a puppy for me. I was living alone in Norman, Oklahoma at the time attending college and desperately missing my family dog, Peanut, who was back home with my parents in Chicago, Illinois. My parents did not support me having a puppy as they were concerned I would not be able to handle the responsibilities of a puppy while attending college. Brian, who has always been a pretty straight forward guy, said "well, they cannot tell me that I cannot have a puppy" and proceeded to find the perfect puppy for me. So, thanks to my husband, we were blessed with a beautiful Black and Tan Dachshund who we named Daisy May.

Daisy May was the foundation of our relationship, and I often joke that she raised us because she watched us get married, graduate from college, finish graduate school, start our first jobs, get promoted, change careers, and make a ton of good and bad decisions throughout our 20s and 30s. Her loyalty to us was unwavering, and her love was limitless. She moved with us a dozen times, comforted us when we were sad, consistently demanded I share my hamburger with her, and tolerated other puppies or shelter cats that I brought home to live with us.

When she was six, a disc in her spine ruptured. After we received the results of her X-rays, we rushed her, without any thought to the cost, to Texas A&M for additional testing and ultimately back surgery to repair the disc. She was in the hospital for a week, and we spent many weeks after that rehabilitating her. She healed beautifully and was able to run and play just as before. She was incredible.

When she was 14, she began to go into heart failure. We worked with our vet to establish a medication protocol and were able to get almost three more years of quality life for her. However, on August 22, 2019, at almost 17 years of age, she crossed the rainbow. To say our hearts were broken is an understatement. While we cried for weeks (and sometime still cry, like now, as I am typing), we now try to focus on the good memories we had with her instead of the loss. I personally deal with my grief by surrounding myself with daisies. I plant daisies in my garden in the Spring, I buy knick-knacks and clothing with daisies. I even got a daisy tattoo. By surrounding myself with daisies, I am reminded that she is always with me.

Recently, I was shopping for my pups online and I came across this beautiful sailor bow with a daisy print at Brody's Pet Boutique. It spoke to me as daisies always do now, and Bailey will wear it this week in honor of her big sister, Daisy.

Daisy May, I dedicate my first blog post and new website to you. Always...