What Kerry, Bill, and Gina say in jest, we declare with conviction. In each of our lives, we have gained and lost beloved pets, but in all that time there has never been one such as Delilah. She truly was one-of-a-kind, she was an original, and we miss her deeply.
Today (11/17/2009) we euthanized Delilah due to aggressive lymphoma. We tried hard to come to this decision quickly as Delilah was fading fast—it had been more than a week since she really ate much. She had lost 20 pounds—a lot for an animal that only weighed 70 pounds. She was clearly in pain. While we remain convinced we made the right decision for our family, and for Delilah; it hurts like hell. Over the next few days we are going to tell you a little bit about our friend Delilah and how much she brought to our lives.
Before we found Delilah, we had been looking at dogs for sometime. In Utah, all the different animal shelters and humane organizations get together periodically for a Super Pet Adoption. At these events there are 300 different dogs and thousands of people and their pets. As you can imagine, it is a mob scene. It is also an excellent environment to gauge a dog’s demeanor. After looking at hundreds of dogs, we could tell that Delilah was special the moment we saw her. One of Lexi’s earliest memories of Delilah was returning from talking to the adoption people to find Dan and Delilah sitting quietly amongst all the commotion. Delilah surprised us then, and never stopped until today. The adoption people told us that she was scheduled to be euthanized two hours after she was rescued. I guess we can be grateful for the gift of the last six years.
It is important to understand our situation in September 2003. We had only been married three years. Those years were each spent in a different state. Dan was in law school and Lexi had just started with the Jordan School District. We weren’t even sure what it meant to “settle,” and were certain it would never happen in Utah. The biggest vehicle we owned was Dan’s Pontiac, and it was pure comedy trying to get Delilah, her kennel, and all the other supplies into the Pontiac. It took 30 minutes to figure it out; but figure it out we did, and Delilah made it to her new home. Here is a picture taken the day she came home.
Delilah was a pure joy. The day she came home we took her out back to brush her but she decided to run away and introduce herself to the neighbors. A day or two later, she ate her own adoption papers! We were told Delilah wasn’t potty trained. Either they were wrong, or she was a very fast learner. She was really good at first impressions. Delilah had a special temperament she would ask permission to join you on the couch or bed. She was also quite the cuddler. There was no better way to fall asleep than with your arm around Delilah.
The thing I think we will remember about Delilah was her sense of adventure, or at least how she inspired it in us. Over the holidays of 2003, we took Delilah to Lexi’s family reunion in Salina, California. Picture Dan, Lexi, Judy, and Don in a rented minivan going over Truckee pass in a blizzard with newly purchased chains and Delilah in her kennel in the back. Something we will never forget; a first of many adventures.
One of the highlights of the trip was Delilah’s visit to the Pacific Ocean. She loved chasing bubbles, and those waves brought endless joy.
On this trip we also learned that Delilah always felt right at home, even in big cities. We spent a night in San Francisco, right by Union Square; Delilah didn’t even bat an eye at all the commotion.
This was before we diagnosed all Delilah’s food allergies and she vomited on the carpet in our very nice hotel room. Dan cleaned it up as best he could, but what really saved us was that Delilah vomited on the area of the carpet that matched the color of her vomit exactly! She was always so considerate!
Today (11/17/2009) we euthanized Delilah due to aggressive lymphoma. We tried hard to come to this decision quickly as Delilah was fading fast—it had been more than a week since she really ate much. She had lost 20 pounds—a lot for an animal that only weighed 70 pounds. She was clearly in pain. While we remain convinced we made the right decision for our family, and for Delilah; it hurts like hell. Over the next few days we are going to tell you a little bit about our friend Delilah and how much she brought to our lives.
Before we found Delilah, we had been looking at dogs for sometime. In Utah, all the different animal shelters and humane organizations get together periodically for a Super Pet Adoption. At these events there are 300 different dogs and thousands of people and their pets. As you can imagine, it is a mob scene. It is also an excellent environment to gauge a dog’s demeanor. After looking at hundreds of dogs, we could tell that Delilah was special the moment we saw her. One of Lexi’s earliest memories of Delilah was returning from talking to the adoption people to find Dan and Delilah sitting quietly amongst all the commotion. Delilah surprised us then, and never stopped until today. The adoption people told us that she was scheduled to be euthanized two hours after she was rescued. I guess we can be grateful for the gift of the last six years.
It is important to understand our situation in September 2003. We had only been married three years. Those years were each spent in a different state. Dan was in law school and Lexi had just started with the Jordan School District. We weren’t even sure what it meant to “settle,” and were certain it would never happen in Utah. The biggest vehicle we owned was Dan’s Pontiac, and it was pure comedy trying to get Delilah, her kennel, and all the other supplies into the Pontiac. It took 30 minutes to figure it out; but figure it out we did, and Delilah made it to her new home. Here is a picture taken the day she came home.
Delilah was a pure joy. The day she came home we took her out back to brush her but she decided to run away and introduce herself to the neighbors. A day or two later, she ate her own adoption papers! We were told Delilah wasn’t potty trained. Either they were wrong, or she was a very fast learner. She was really good at first impressions. Delilah had a special temperament she would ask permission to join you on the couch or bed. She was also quite the cuddler. There was no better way to fall asleep than with your arm around Delilah.
The thing I think we will remember about Delilah was her sense of adventure, or at least how she inspired it in us. Over the holidays of 2003, we took Delilah to Lexi’s family reunion in Salina, California. Picture Dan, Lexi, Judy, and Don in a rented minivan going over Truckee pass in a blizzard with newly purchased chains and Delilah in her kennel in the back. Something we will never forget; a first of many adventures.
One of the highlights of the trip was Delilah’s visit to the Pacific Ocean. She loved chasing bubbles, and those waves brought endless joy.
This trip took us through the end of 2003. It was a wonderful year mostly because of Delilah’s arrival. Little did we know back then the impact she would have—not only on us, but on our entire extended family as well. We will post some more memories of Delilah in the days to come. In the meantime, cherish what you love and don’t postpone what can be enjoyed today.
