At about 5:00 p.m. my dad looked down to see her laying at his feet. He could see that she was in shock. He came running up to the house from his shop yelling "Annie's dying!" I was in my bedroom doing homework at the time, but I heard my little sister call me. I ran to the shop without shoes on, very worried for my little girl. When I got to her she lifted her head and smiled at me.
Dad said that she had been "tumbled" by something, so we assumed that it was the motorcycle that had been up and down the road. He wanted to take her to the hospital, so Mom and my sister ran back to the house to call and see who was still open. She had a gash in her head and there was blood on her paws. She had a hard time breathing and she was somewhat unresponsive before long.
Dad kept talking to her-- "I'm so sorry I didn't see you sooner, little girl. We're trying to get you some help but I'm really afraid you're going to die..." I've never seen my dad try that hard for an animal. He told me to get her blanket and we wrapped her up in it to keep her warm. I prayed that God would "please save my dog" and I asked her to not stop fighting.
When Mom and my sister found an animal hospital, we put her in the back of the car and rushed her there. I was already crying at this point, and I was pretty sure she wasn't going to make it. I prayed some more the entire way to the hospital, but Yona never gave up. She actually kept trying to hold herself still because she was sliding around.
After we got her to the hospital they said they weren't really sure where they were going to get with her. She was considered to be in critical condition before they took her to get x-rays. I couldn't believe what was happening. None of it felt real at the time. It still doesn't feel very real. When the doctor came in after her x-rays, she said that there was internal bleeding and they weren't sure where it started. There was also bruising on her lungs but they couldn't see if there was fluid in them or if they were punctured. There was no bladder shadow, either. Kind of like a shaken baby syndrome, whatever hit her shook up everything inside. The doctor then told us that she had less than a 2% chance of making it. She was too weak for surgery, and it might take several days to get her strong enough. But they didn't even think she would make it through the night, so we had to put her to sleep.
We got to go back to say goodbye to her. It still didn't feel like it was really happening. She wasn't in any pain, whether because of the medication and or because she was in severe shock. We all talked to her for a little bit and pet her for the last time. She was still fighting, like I'd asked her to. They then helped her slip into eternity, wrapped up her body and sent her home with us so we could bury her.
There are several things I want to point out that I can be grateful for, even in this sad moment. First, she came home. She knew she was hurting, and she probably knew she was going to die, but she came home to us. Most dogs don't come home if they are going to die. She knew she was loved and she loved us enough to let us say goodbye. (Or we can say that God brought her home to us. Either way, she still came home and I am grateful for that.) Second, she didn't stop fighting. I asked her to fight, and she did. Until the very end. Third, because we took her to the hospital, I knew what the chances were of her living. I can never say that we didn't try to save her. That is very important to me. Fourth, my Dad did try to save her. This is important in a different way. He doesn't usually take pets to the doctor for anything, especially not when they are dying. But he did try to save my baby girl. And I know for a fact that if he could have saved her, then he would have. Lastly, God did save my dog like I begged Him to. She was not in pain. She was in more pain at the beginning of her journey on this earth than she felt in her last few hours. She also knew how much she was loved. He saved here from physical and emotional pain, if you believe that dogs can feel emotional pain. (I do.) Although He didn't spare her life, I trust that He did what was best for her. Even if I never understand why, I trust Him.
I loved my dog. My whole family loved my dog (with the possible exception of my Mom, but I think she loved her regardless of whether or not she admits it). She had such a spunky personality! For example, if she wanted to play and I was doing homework on my computer, she would put her nose under my computer and move it so that I would pay attention to her. She also knew when my blood sugar was off, so she was able to alert me by being as annoying as possible. She always wanted to be where her family was, and she would get so mad if we left her at home! She loved to go for rides in my Jeep--which she got to do Sunday afternoon. I took her with me to the store to get Pizza. She was beyond spoiled (she had three beds!) by everyone. There is no way that dog did not know she was loved. I'm grateful for that, too. I'll miss her, but I'm glad she's not in pain.
My guardian angel just got her wings.Thank you for reading. I'll pray for you if you are going on a similar adventure.
Bless you all,
Taylor Ryerse--The Adventure Junkie
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