Our sweet and delightful little Bailey died yesterday morning. His heart finally gave out. Even when we knew the end was coming — he was very old and had really deteriorated in the past couple of months — it was still one of the most painful losses we've ever had. Bailey had an outsized personality, and he had been one of the touchstones of our life since he first arrived from an animal hoarder court case back in 2006.
He had been through a lot before coming to us, and you can read about the conditions he was living in here. It was only because a determined group of neighbors kept pressing local law enforcement to do something about this awful place that Bailey and many other animals were eventually rescued.
Through it all, he had survived — and we were blessed to have him spend his final years with us.
He had always been one of the most physically compromised animals we've ever had the privilege of caring for — his lower back was bent, his rear legs skewed sideways, and yet while it looked like it was difficult for him to walk, he loved to go roaming around the yard. He had a get-up-and-go drive that absolutely defied how his tiny body looked.
And despite the appearance of his back and legs, he wasn't in any pain. We learned after we first got him that there was nothing our veterinary surgeons in Spokane could do for him, but it was clear from watching him that he was very mobile and enjoyed going everywhere and anywhere. Indeed, on the day he came to us in, the first thing he did was take off down the drive, and we had to go running after him to scoop him up.
Because of his spinal problem, he had no control over his bladder or bowels, and yet nothing bothered him more than not being able to go outside to do his business. Bailey never wanted to go inside the house, but he wouldn't know he needed to poop until it started coming out … and then he would make a mad dash to the front door. The effort to get outside always made a bigger mess across the floor for us to clean up, of course, but we admired how he tried so hard to to avoid going inside. Let's just say it was an example we hoped some other dogs could learn from!
Bailey had an irrepressible spirit and energy — bossy, playful, loving, and full of antics. Over the years he accounted for more blog posts than any other animal, including even Widget. He relished being outside when it was hot, sleeping under one of his favorite shade trees. When he was inside, he was forever playing with toys, like Mr. Caterpillar … when he wasn't using a toy as a head rest while he slept … or using a friend for the same purpose. Every dog was a friend to Bailey, as well as a potential head rest.
He loved exploring, even when the snow was deep. One of our favorite Bailey blog posts was his wind meter one. Since this is such a sad post, you may really want to see this video clip of him playing with toys called "45 Seconds of Pure Joy."
But you get the idea: this tiny dog with a giant personality gave us lots of unforgettable memories over the years. Just type "Bailey" in the search box on this blog (on the left) and you'll see what I mean.
In recent months as his body began wearing out, Alayne would baby him even more. She carried him around the house with her on "road trips" so he could see what was going on, and would sit at her computer holding him. In the past few weeks she set up a special bed in a laundry basket so he could be with us wherever we were. His incontinence became worse, and she was bathing him three or four times a day now. We always knew when his bedding needed to be changed, because he'd start barking insistently. We joked that this was Bailey's way of saying, "Housekeeping! Housekeeping! Bedding change needed in Basket 1!" In his last few days his voice became noticeably weaker, but he was just as bossy as ever.
He was in his basket-bed in my office yesterday morning, sleeping just a few feet behind me while I responded to emails. At some point I realized I didn't hear any sound coming from the basket and I turned around to look. I pulled his blanket back. He was no longer breathing and was absolutely still. I knew he had just slipped away. I called down to Alayne who was in the kitchen, and she came running up the stairs.
I picked up his little body, wrapped it in his fleece, and handed him to her. She cradled him and cried. Sitting on the floor, she rocked back and forth, tears streaming down her face, hugging him tightly. She said, "I loved caring for him. He was just so special. He was my little boy." Alayne handed him to me and I sat on the floor, cradling him and crying, too. Dang, and now I'm crying again writing this and reliving it.
[Following a brief pause for tissue…]
After we grieved and cried for quite a while together, Alayne went to get his last bedding change — what we would wrap him in for burial. It was a Winnie the Pooh sheet that Alayne always reserved for Bailey's bed. She had already decided where we were going to bury him. Since he loved being under trees so much, his final resting place will be under a beautiful birch tree just below the house.
Goodbye, sweetheart. We miss you so much.
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