The Log Dog Blog: Ava

If you are even a casual reader of this blog, you know my mom has had a rough time of it lately.

Today, she said goodbye to her sweet little Ava.

My mom adopted Ava in January 2018. We initially thought she was about 10 (it is almost impossible to know for sure with rescue dogs), but after doing a dental, our beloved vet suspected she was about 12.

I think Ava came into our lives because she knew we would need her. She was a wonderful companion for my mom for the first six months, so well behaved and grateful to have a human of her own. She was always thrilled to have a warm and fuzzy blanket to burrow in and was equally content to stay home or be taken on many a car adventure.

When my mom got sick last summer and moved in with us, Ava became an honorary member of my herd. We brought her to our house on June 28 (the first night my mom spent at the hospital) and it has been her home since. During our long and difficult summer, she seamlessly bonded with Maddy and Ginny, and when Maddy tragically passed away, she became quite close with Ginny (although Ginny did not reciprocate that fondness for the first few months).

Thinking about it today, I believe Ava saved Ginny from dying of a broken heart. Ginny had previously lost five of her sisters, but Maddy was Ginny's whole world. Without Ava trying to get Ginny to play, sleeping next to her on the couch, and barking at goings-on in the neighborhood, I honestly don't know what would have become of Ginny. Ava even forced Ginny to eat because while Ginny would just sit and stare at her food, Ava would gobble hers down and then slowly creep over toward Ginny's bowl – which caused Ginny to eat because she didn't want Ava getting her food. Comical in one sense, but in another, this act alone helped Ginny keep going.

Over the past couple of months, Ginny had really warmed up to Ava as she learned to live without Maddy by her side. For that, I will be forever indebted to Ava. She always struck me as a proper little old British lady, and over the last few months, I'd taken to calling her "Mavis" because that nickname suited her perfectly. Even though she wasn't technically mine, I loved that little dog so very much.

C and I were away this past weekend, and on Sunday night, my mom sent me a text asking me to call her. Ava was crying out in pain and my mom told me she was taking her to the emergency vet to see what was going on. Upon examination, they thought maybe it was her back or neck (the Achilles heel of Dachshunds), and they sent Ava home with meds and directions for restricted activity. We have a playpen in our family room that Ginny sometimes spends time in when she has overdone it and her back is bothering her, so my mom got Ava settled in for the night after giving her the medication. Yesterday was not too bad, and when C and I got home last night, Ava was excited to see us and seemed pretty ok to me. Ginny went to bed with C, and I insisted my mom go to bed while I slept on the couch to keep Ava company. I checked on her several times during the night, and she was sleeping soundly. She ate breakfast this morning and was looking so adorable as she snoozed on the couch that I posted a #tongueouttuesday pic of her on IG.

About an hour later, she suddenly cried out in pain. It was the first time I'd heard her do it, and my mom said that's what she'd done on Sunday night.

Well, my heart sank, because I knew that sound. All too well. And I knew it wasn't because of her neck or her back. My Molly, Gunni, and Duchess all experienced that same suffering before I had to let them go and it was just as horrifying. Seizures.

Ginny knew, too. She was acting crazy, running around and trying to get to Ava. Absolutely frantic.

After a panicked call to Dr. T., my mom held Ava in her arms and I drove the three of us to the vet as my mom and I cried. Ava had another seizure in the car and another right before we said goodbye.

Thank goodness for Dr. T. That's all I can say. She sat with us and cried with us and said all of the right things. My brother met us at the vet to say his goodbyes as well, and having him there with us was so good for my mom. Because no matter how much you know in your head that you are doing the right thing, your heart still breaks.

When my mom and I got home, Ginny searched for Ava. She searched the blanket we'd taken her in, she searched my mom's coat, she searched the car. It was so sad. She has been quiet all day long and only perked up when C got home from work. She has lost another friend. The cheese certainly does stand alone now.

We will miss you terribly, little Mavis. I have no doubt Maddy enthusiastically welcomed you at the Rainbow Bridge and introduced you to the rest of the herd who will unequivocally love you as much as we do. Thanks for all you did to see this family through a very trying year. You really rescued us.