Saying Goodbye To Our Corgi Lucy

by Roger Byrne
(Port St Lucie, Florida, USA)

Lucy is our five year old Cardigan Welsh Corgi. She has always been very athletic. She is a Frisbee addict - chasing and catching with ease and incredible agility.

She had a very close partner, our 6 years old Corgi named Frankie. They made a grand couple - playing and hanging out with each other all the time.

Then we noticed Lucy was limping a little. We checked her legs and felt a tightness in her hind quarters. We thought she had pulled a muscle and applied gentle massage and rest periods.

We were devastated when just seven days later our Vet diagnosed round cell cancer tumour and had only one recommendation - amputate her leg.
This we could not contemplate for a Corgi. Apart from the distress this would have caused Lucy there was always the clear possibility that the tumours would appear elsewhere.

So we are now treating her with homeopathic supplements to help ease the symptoms and make each and every day the best it can be.

It is heartbreaking to see this beautiful active dog slowly slipping away before our eyes. However as long as she has adequate quality of life and is not in distress we will continue plying her with love and tender care.

Sadly and totally unexpectedly Frankie died from septicemia caused by pancreatitis just six weeks after Lucy's diagnosis. Somewhere he must have eaten something toxic and despite all best efforts he became too sick to save.

We have 'borrowed' a friend's corgi to keep Lucy company until we have to say goodbye.

We feel very privileged to have known both of these lovely dogs and they will always be with us in spirit.

These are our fifth and sixth Corgis and saying goodbye doesn't get any easier. Our other dogs lived into their teen years so these two little 'angels' have had a short but very happy lives.

I wrote a poem to help me say goodbye to my friends which I found helpful. I am happy to share it with any other animal lover who has to face that sad moment.