Nikita

    We rescued Nikita at 4 months old. She was my first dog and right off the bat we noticed when she would get up from laying down her back end would dance and wobble around. At the time I didn't really understand what it was and just thought it was a puppy thing. But at about 14 months she was x-rayed and both hips were dysplastic. I took her to a specialist and he said just to keep her on glucosamine and continue walking her. He said the only thing he would recommend would be two complete hip replacements ($8,000). So we just nursed her along and we hit a lot of bumps in the road with her becoming defensive when she would be lying down (laid down most of the day but still had the heart of brain of a puppy). And lately she just became too aggressive towards our 1 year old daughter and also started attacking our other German Shepherd puppy when he would come near out of defense. She was in a lot of pain and instinct was over-riding her thought process some times. But we just couldn't keep rolling the dice and we knew one of these times our daughter was going to get bit and it would be no one’s fault but our own. I attempted re-homing her but the home would have to be free of animals, kids, and any other type of abuse whether it be physical or verbal. It was very difficult and it was purely a liability to place her in the hands of someone who didn’t understand her. She truly was a one family dog that needed to stay in her forever home.

   She was a backyard-bred American Bloodline dog. She had behavior issues and also a very weak temperament. But she was such a great house dog besides when she just wanted to lay down and be left alone. I am almost completely convinced she was part dog, part human. She showed emotion most dogs would never show. I miss not being able to come home and see her come running up to me to say, “welcome home dad!” (the way dogs do of course). She loved to cuddle when watching T.V. and hang out by the dinner table to wait for scraps to flop onto the ground so she could sneak over there and take them back to the living room to eat them. She loved going to the ocean and lakes to run free and go for a swim. You could see the amazing spirit she had inside in those moments because she appeared to completely ignore the pain and have no care in the world. It was at those times you saw the real Nikita in all her beauty. The Nikita she desired to be.

   She will forever be a huge part of this family, and she made such an impact of my life. The attachment we had as a family was amazing. The day she was scheduled to end her journey on this earth, we did our best to make it a memorable one. My wife set out a steak to thaw. That morning she dined like a princess. While she took her sweet time nibbling on the steak my wife and I scrambled to gear up the kids for a trip to the lake. We knew this trip would be nothing short of bitter sweet. As we arrived, Nikita quickly showed that youthful spirit she had when faced with another “adventure” for her. Watching her run and splash in the water was so fun, but I was quickly reminded of the fact that two hours from then my dog would be dead. I wanted to completely skip the appointment but we couldn’t risk it anymore. It was so terrible holding her fate in our hands. It was like we were just “tricking” her all morning that life was great. But it wasn’t. Once people began piling onto the sand we realized it was time to leave. I knew it was the last time she would ever have fun and share joy with us….and that killed me. We went home and dropped off the kids in preparation for the insanely long drive to the Vet’s Office even though it was only about a seven minute drive.

   Upon arrival to the place I would last see my dog, I felt like I couldn’t do it. My wife went inside to pre-pay, and I took Nikita for one last stroll on the end of the leash. She knew things weren’t right. She knew “mom” and “dad” were very sad.

   We took her inside and we were quickly put in the “last room on the right”. I never want to see that room again by the way. Two nurses assembled in the room and wasted no time preparing the injections. One nurse shaved a spot on her front leg to locate the vein. Meanwhile, I had to hold myself back from grabbing the leash and walking out with her before they could go any further. I debated what we were about to do a hundred times in my head, but I knew there was no going back. I held her head and would pet her and kiss her while she locked eyes with us and shook in fear. A moment later she started collapsing. I continued to hold her head because I wasn’t ready to let go. She slumped down on the cold table and instantly no longer looked like Nikita. We slipped her old collar off of her and said goodbye. It was a very helpless feeling. I would have fought for this dog and instead had to willingly watch her die.

  

     This was a tough thing for us to go through, but I am eternally thankful that she is freed from pain, anxiety, and fear. I am also thankful because we rescued her. We don’t know what her life would have been like in the hands of someone else if we had not taken the 5 hour drive to bring home our first dog to call our own. I truly believe we gave her a great life and offered her more love than she could have received anywhere else.
   
    We miss you hunny! I pray you are roaming grassy hillsides, jumping into gorgeous lakes, and it brings me peace knowing that you are not feeling an ounce of pain. Thank you God, for allowing her to be in our lives.

                                                                  Nikita
                                           August 13th , 2008 -  June 14th , 2011