Toffee : our sweetest and most beautiful dog

"She took my heart and ran with it, and I hope she's running still, fast and strong, a piece of my heart bound up with her forever"

Today our Toffee passed away at 9 AM.
She succumbed to a deadly disease called Lymphosarcoma (Cancer). She was six years old, she would have turned 7 in May this year.
Although she was a very happy, fun loving, healthy foot ball playing dog, this disease came all of a sudden, and, maybe for 10 days, she looked like she had beaten this disease, when all of a sudden she was again feeling  very sick. Doctors had not given up on her, they tried everything, but she could not survive,

Our first dog Cookie

No words can ever describe the loss of a dear pet. Dogs are so lovable, and they love you unconditionally, and also makes you want to show the same unconditionally love to everybody ( but unfortunately we are not able to).
Two dogs came into our lives and showered us with their love.
Our first dog Cookie left us when she was just 3 and half years old, and then came Toffee, who showered us with so much love for almost 7 years, and now she has also left us.
I must say, both our dogs left without too much  suffering, for their end came very suddenly. We are grateful for that. 
I am sure they too had a great time with us.
 Thank you Cookie and thank you Toffee, for bringing so much happiness and love into our lives.
This is for Cookie and Toffee:


The Rainbow Bridge

Our Dog Toffee

Just this side of Heaven is a place called the Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind.

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly she begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together. . .

 

Away from Blogging: here I am at it again...

The reason I could not blog was various:
 Our dog fell very ill all of sudden, she would not eat anything, she was just lying around and had become very quiet. We consulted the Vet., he checked and said, it was just some digestion problem, she would become better in a few days, he gave her some injection and some tablets and tonic.
However things started becoming bad to worse: the doctor too,  got worried as she developed all kinds of lumps in her throat, her legs and her stomach, and she was not eating/ drinking anything, except water.
He took some tests, for he suspected cancer: we really thought she was going to die any time. But the reports came negative: that was good news indeed!
But, still according to the Vet, she had lot of complications, and,  she had to be taken everyday to the clinic to be given drips, and injections, she really looked very sad as if she had given up, she was resting all the time. She had to be force fed, it was very difficult. It took around 1 month for her to come back being her old self. She still could not walk freely as before because of the lumps, slowly the lumps got dissolved, through medicines, her voice came back rather feebly , and she started showing interest in eating.
It is amazing how from literally being  on the death bed she has somehow recovered.
Now almost after 10 days she has got back to looking her normal self, walking better, eyes shining with health, she has to put on some weight which she had lost during her illness: she is definitely on her road to recovery, and she is being really pampered by all of us.
 She had Jaundice, liver problem, kidney problem, and other related problems and complications. 
I somehow could relate to her as a patient: for many years ago I too suffered from Malaria, which left me in the same state  that she was.
We are really grateful to our Watchman, our Maid, our Doctor and Of course God who saw to it along with all  of us who loved her, that she  somehow got over this severe illness. 
At least, we can shout, groan, and make a big fuss about our illness, but our dog just kept quiet, not being able to express its discomfort, the pain, the uneasiness: we can learn so much from animals.

                                                     Toffee  with our son and daughter

Everybody was petting / pampering her during a small get together we had : it was not only a celebration of my husband's birthday, it was also a celebration of Toffee's recovery, and she enjoyed every bit of it.


Then a very dear friend from Norway, Shanthi came,  and stayed with us for a night as promised by her. We had so much fun chatting away till midnight. I had come to know her through blogging. Next morning she was dropped back to her hotel by Ananth.
Our son came the same night from Ann Arbor Michigan for 3 weeks. Our daughter and her husband too came for 3 days for Ananth's birthday. We had a whole gang of uncles and aunts, cousins who had all come from various places to attend the get together at our place to wish him.
I, who always have Time, as my blog's title suggests, found time literally slipping away, for this time, I have not even really spent time with our son, who would be leaving on the 22nd of this month.

As they say, "all good things must come to an end". I leave you with some pictures:

                                        Our daughter and her husband Ram

Bought this beautiful Tussar silk saree for another blogger friend Linhy, who lives in Chicago, would be sending it with our son.  Isn't it pretty?