Validation

The past few months have really re-validated to me the reasons I chose photography as my calling in life. The importance of a photograph and not only that but a good photo session. I've had a few friends experience some pretty substantial loss recently. Then it hit our family as well. A little over a week ago, my husband came home and made a comment about our little pupper dog Rella, and that she seemed depressed. So we cuddled her extra took her on some extra walks. A few days later she was laying in the backyard. When my husband came home from work he noticed her limping and was concerned that maybe the kids had played a little too rough with her. She bounced back from it, but the next day it happened again, and we were concerned about a seizure or a stroke because she was not recovering from it this time and now she was shaking. We gave it till Tuesday and took her into the vet. We know her personally because my husband is in the Public Health (formally Vet Services) Command. She gave a her a good look over and reluctantly told us "I think its a Brain Tumor, it could be this other neurological issue, but because she's only 4, its not likely." I was pretty devastated and I knew my oldest was going to fall apart, not to mention the day before was his birthday. Not a good birthday present. She told us to give it until Friday to see if she shows any signs of improvement. When Aiden came home, we told him what was going on, and he cried a little, but marched right outside and spent the rest of the afternoon with his doggie. We made a plan to take some pictures of him with her the next day. So the next day (Wednesday) we did so. He went outside and laid in the grass with her, I took some more pictures. About an hour later, she crawled into my lap, laid for a few minutes and then started crying. She tried to get up but couldn't. I was certain that she had had another stroke. So I laid her in her bed and called my husband. He came home and took her back to the vet. Aiden cried, boy did he cry. I'm so happy that I got these last few pictures of them together. They were buddies, and she followed him everywhere. I'm glad he will remember her being happy and spunky and playful. Even in her last few hours she was happy, and the pictures show it.