SAKI TSU
At Midnight~my beloved companion, Saki Tsu Spurck, died peacefully in my arms. Something inside me told me that "today was the day".
We woke up and did our usual routine but today she was a little unsteady on her legs~ a little slower than usual~and couldn't make it up the three stairs leading to my kitchen door. I had to pick her up and carry her into the kitchen where I let her lay on the cool floor infront of her water and food dishes. I gave her both by my hands, kissed her and went off to do errands.
When I arrived home~she was still there but resting comfortably on her side. An hour later she howled to let me know she had an accident on the floor and I called my son to come over and help me clean her and move her onto her big pillow.
We carefully slid her onto her pillow and moved her into the dining room so she could be in the a/c and in her favorite spot to sleep. DJ got me a bucket filled with warm water and a few squirts of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap. I carefully washed her clean with a washcloth and brushed her till she looked beautiful~confirming that her departure was soon since she didn't do her usual grooming protest. My sweet girl DETESTED being brushed and used to run and hide under my bed every time I would pull her brushes out!
Saki's breathing becamed laboured around 11:30~it sounded and looked like hiccuping and I lay down with my arms around her. Her sides starting to heave and I knelt by her and called upon all my loved one's who have passed by name~calling out to them to please come and take her swiftly and peacefully.
My prayers were answered and she drew her last breath and died with me entwined with her. It was so quiet and the church bells and my neighbors' "Big Ben Clock" tolled in the midnight hour and I stayed with her for some time until I called my daughter, my mother & my friend, Bone, over to say their goodbyes.
We had a little pagan wake for her and she will be burried later today in the rain.
I don't know what I will do from here~ two weeks shy of 15 yrs. ago~she was a gift from my late father-in-law, James Spurck, who knew I was a "girl in need of a dog."
No truer words were spoken.