This afternoon Pearl, # D802, crossed over to romp and play awaiting our arrival.
She was our first Dane. Heather dropped her off at our house saying, "Here's your Dane!" Not so much as even letting us think we had a choice. That was August, 2004. She was 8 at the time. We got to enjoy her for almost 6 years.
She came to us fresh from surgery for a malignant rectal polyp. Our first outing was to take her for her first check up after the surgery.
For 6 years she was the Grand Dame of the Hardin household. Overseeing Daisy, a Lhasa Apso who has also crossed, Bonnie a 25lb mutt that merely tolerates large breed dogs , numerous Dane fosters, Peter a Miniature Schnauzer who thinks he's a Dane, and three Great Dane foster failures, Cane (now also crossed), Tera, and Tye.
Of late her back end lost all strength, she would stumble around like a drunken sailor, and then for only short distances before she would collapse in a heap to rest and gather up her strength. Her treat was to go out into the front yard sniff a bit and then lay down and watch the world go by the front of the house. Last night she came out of our bedroom under her own head of steam and gave out on the hallway floor. That was the last time she got up on her own. This morning we carried her out to the yard and let her lay there for a while, and then this afternoon we took off her collar and sent her over to wait for us.
