Stella

Words really cannot describe how precious Stella was to us. She was an unbelievable companion and was incredibly loyal. The unique bond formed with Stella was amazing and so special that it truly reinforces the phrase, “Man’s Best Friend.”

 Stella was sixteen when she passed and loved life. It was such a shock because she had so much energy even at age 16. I really thought she would live another 2-4 years. Stella absolutely loved going on walks whether rain, shine, or snow. Soon after her 16th birthday she lost the enthusiasm and energy to go on walks; that was a red flag. When I felt a lump on her neck/chin area I never even thought of the word cancer. She ended up having more inflamed lymph nodes and started to lose weight and was diagnosed with lymphoma. We ended up having her euthanized at home about 5 weeks later. We do not believe that Stella was in a lot of pain, but you could tell she was uncomfortable. Having her euthanized at home was gut-wrenching, but at least we got to say our good-byes, and she was in the comfort of her surroundings.

During Stella’s lifetime she got to fly on a commercial airline from the west coast to the east coast, went for a ride in a limousine, went on vacation to Maine, got to go camping, and drove across country 3,000 miles. One year when she was younger, we took Stella to the local mountains in Southern California while it was cold and snowy, put her in a pet backpack so she could relax and see where we were going, and walked all around town, including taking her into various stores while she was in the backpack, and she loved it! 

Stella was also very smart. She would love to hang with me in our small home office. Stella and our other dog both had their own beds under my desk (and many other beds in the house as well, of course😊). The home office was almost like her little sanctuary. Every time I would get my coffee and walk down the hallway to my office, Stella and her brother would follow right behind me, and then go into their respective beds once in the office. But, because Stella was so smart, many times she would go down the hallway first and slow down and periodically look back at me to make sure I was coming. It was almost as if she was saying, “come on daddy, it’s office time”.  And she was so funny too. When we fed her, she ate kibble and canned meat mixed together. When she ate, she would suck the meat off the kibble, spit it outside of her bowl, then when she was done eating, she would finally eat the kibble she spat out, but not all of it😊 She still left a mess😊   

Stella’s loyalty and companionship was second to none! We miss you and love you SO MUCH baby girl, but we’ll see you again in the future and we will be reunited❤