Niecee November 2006 Canine Angel

My sister worked with a woman who owned 8 dogs; those dogs produced quite a few litters of pups in a very short time. Needing to find homes for the puppies, on May 7, 1992, my sister took one puppy home and gave me two, one male and one female. I decided I should keep one and give the other to my brother, but I couldn’t decide which one to keep. One day, I walked into the kitchen and the female puppy followed me, in that moment I decided Niecee would stay with me. Niecee was a Yorkie mix, born February 20, 1992. She was sweet, affectionate, funny and loved people. Anytime someone came to visit she would just get so excited, jump on their laps and give them doggie kisses. Once she wore herself out, she would cuddle next to them and take a nap. If I had to recall only one of the many special moments I shared with Niecee, it would be this: I had surgery on my foot a few years ago, Niecee always slept next to me, but one morning after my surgery, I woke up and my foot felt very heavy. When I sat up to look, she was lying on my foot, covering it completely with her body as if to protect me from harm. I was so touched that I cried. Niecee had a favorite stuffed unicorn, given to me by a friend, but Niecee just took ownership. She would carry it everywhere, in the mornings when she would see me off for work, and in the evenings greeting me at the door with it. The poor unicorn ended up with no tail, scratched eyes, and no mane on its head, withstanding 14 years of loving use. Her loss was unexpected and very fast. Niecee was coughing one day, so I took her to the vet. I was given the devastating news that she had end stage lung disease and was given a few weeks to a few months to live. Unfortunately she became even more ill that evening. She couldn't sleep and was breathing very hard. That night I made the decision that if she was still that ill the next day I would have her put to sleep. Well she was worse in the morning. She wailed in pain and it hurt so much to watch her suffer that way. She was always a happy, active, playful and quirky dog; it was too much to bear, to see her this way. I wrapped her up in her pillow and blanket and drove slowly to the vet. The vet agreed that we should give her a peaceful release. I just got her ashes on September 1 and created a special shelf with pictures to rest the ashes on. I will always fondly remember the many happy memories of my life with my little canine angel. Lizzette R., Bronx, NY