You Will Be Missed

Today my dad had to put down his dog, Jessie. Although she was my dad's dog, she had been in our family for over 9 years, including years that I lived at home. We got her a puppy in the summer of 2001 and she was full of 'spunk' from the beginning.
Jessie, a beagle/hound/lab (???) mix was an extremely loyal dog to my dad. She loved him dearly and followed him wherever he went. She loved going to the cabin. When there, Jessie came alive. She was a very noisy dog with her howling, barking and whining, which meant she was always on my crap list...but she was ours.

The last year she had been having some urinary problems. We kept thinking she had bladder infections but it never got better. Today the vet x-rayed her and she had a massive bladder tumor. While usually vets tell you your treatment options, this vet went right to putting her to sleep. I guess it was that bad, and he felt that Jessie was probably in a lot of pain. My dad made the decision to put Jessie down and stayed with her while they did it.

My dad is a very strong person but I could hear the pain in his voice. Please keep him in your thoughts over the next few days. He lost his shadow today and I'm sure a piece of him as well.

Here is a recent picture of Jessie. She is the black and white dog.