L is for Lily

Immy, Chloe, Tobias and Lily

Summer of 2001, our doxie Chloe gave birth to five little female pups. One of those pups was my heartdog, Lily. We had two pups that were nearly identical and my brother named them Phil and Lil after the Rugrats. Lil was a bouncy, jovial little girl who pranced nicely at the end of a leash (where her sisters balked LOL) We found her a home…but a few months later we got a call back. The woman had allergies and although she tried to keep Lil, the doctor recommended she give her away. We went and picked her up and we just…clicked. She started sleeping with me and I began to train her and she became a member of our doxie family (Chloe, her mom, as well as our male, Tobias, and the runt of the litter that my mom kept, Immy)

We set up a date to get her spayed…only to have her go into heat and then a false pregnancy, becoming hormonal and even getting milk in. The vets didn’t want to do surgery until she dried up and recommended we wait. Only every time we’d get her in, she’d be in a false pregnancy. This went on for two years; we worked around her hormones (she was very…bitchy to put it nicely lol) and we joined 4-H…only to have her go after my dog leader with teeth. Fiiiinally we were able to get her in and get her spayed and she calmed down majorly. She even showed in a year of 4-H and loved it

We grew closer. She was the dog that put up with everything I put her through (once, after watching a Westminster show, I decided I was going to someday be a handler…and poor Lily was my guinea pig LOL) I battled with severe anxiety; the only way my parents could get me out of the house was if I could bring Lily. She became my security blanket in a way…and my best friend in another. She goes trick-or-treating with us every year (she dresses up as a hotdog xD!)

Hard to believe she’ll be 11 this year. She’s gotten grey and has lost some teeth. Her sister, Immy, we had to have put down last month due to declining health. Their mom Chloe is going downhill fast; my dad’s struggling with the right decision. Lil is the last remaining puppy from the litter of five that we know of. She still loves to go for car rides; all I have to say is “car” and her eyes light up like Christmas lights and she dashes out the door with the spirit of a pup. Even though she’s getting up there in years, I have hope that she’ll stick around awhile longer. She’s still moving around great and doesn’t seem to have any pain, or even aging signs beyond the grey muzzle.