A hole in my heart

It’s with heavy heart that I write to express that the beautiful life of our beloved Della has ended. Although her 9 ½ years with us was all too brief, she filled our hearts and each moment of every day with unconditional love and limitless joy.

Earlier this year, a biopsy revealed that she had chondrosarcoma. We took her to an oncologist who recommended amputation of the leg and half of Della’s pelvis. We conducted a lot of research on this type of cancer and on amputations in general, and we heavily weighed our thinking on how Della would tolerate such a drastic procedure with the selfishness of wanting more time with her. Those who have ever known an animal as their friend no doubt know that this was a most difficult decision. Ultimately, we could not go through with the amputation. We were advised that the cancer would not metastasize but instead that the bone cancer in her leg would progress quickly, ultimately interfering with her comfort and ability to eat before Summer’s end.

We were able to keep Della quite comfortable on pain medication throughout the summer. She had a very normal and in fact puppy-like existence making us doubt that the doctors could be right. We spoiled her endlessly with special attention. Even in her final hours, she was playful to the point of slight annoyance. In the evening of August 15, x-rays revealed that her body was full of cancer and it was impacting her heart and lungs. Despite our grave loss, we were grateful to send her off with love and dignity.

Della had a great, great life—a gift more enormous to us then to her, no doubt. She was a brilliant dog—as wickedly smart and athletically talented as she was loving. It is our bountiful fond memories of Della that will sustain us as we move to heal this cavernous hole in our hearts. Perhaps someday in the future we will seek another opportunity to share a life of a puppy of equal measure…for now we celebrate Della’s life and reflect upon her great treasure.