Good-bye to our Beautiful Eva

Eva's angel watch ended Friday afternoon with Holistic Vet, her husband, and me there to send her to the Rainbow Bridge. A sad, heartbreaking good-bye. With edema starting to set in, her body was failing her. Eva's battle with renal failure was over.  Despite having lost that battle, her gentle and peaceful nature and golden-smile remained until the very end.

~One Last Photo~

As I was looking through Eva's pictures this morning, I have to admit, its hard to find one that truly encompasses her. She was truly the quintessential Golden Retriever, just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. Her eyes always sparkled, and she was always happy.  I'd say that if I had to find any fault with Eva, I'd be pretty hard-pressed to find something. But if there is one to mention, it would be that you couldn't teach her anything, and trust me, I tried.

However, thinking about it now, I wonder if it was just because Eva didn't want to learn anything? She was truly all about living and being happy in the moment. It actually made her that much more endearing and that much more treasured and loved.

I know that it goes without saying that Eva will be missed. I've been home most of the day, and it's easy to feel like something or "someone" is missing. When you've had your heart expanded and broken by a dog (or a cat) you know what I'm talking about when I say that. If you haven't, I can tell you this, life with a dog or a cat always ends in tears. My heart is shattered and in pieces from Eva's loss. But despite that, I can say that with all certainty and without a single doubt, that after all we went through with Eva and her illness, if I could spare her from having kidney disease, I would do it all over again.

God-speed to our lovely and beautiful Eva, I cannot wait for the day when I'll get to see you again. I will miss you leaning on me as we drove to your appointments. I will miss you happily running down the hallway in front of me at mealtimes and rushing back into the kitchen after you'd eaten for the leftovers. I will miss your always wanting to eat all the treats I gave out as I was leaving.  I will miss you pawing at me and always wanting to be the one to get all of the attention. I will miss watching you rush out the back door to see what Todd was barking at and being part of the fun. I will miss waking up in the middle of the night, and looking down the hallway towards the living room and seeing you sleeping on your bed. I will miss you Eva. 

And as has become our tradition, I've picked a color for Eva to sum up her life with us and create our own rainbow.  The color for Eva has to be pink. Pink is a delicate color that means sweet, nice, playful, and tenderness. Eva had all those qualities. Pink is also the color associated with girls and Eva was all girl - From her being a "momma dog" in her first life, to her pink collar, and soft pink skin under her beautiful blonde coat. The color pink is also the color of love, and that's truly what Eva was truly all about...Love.

~Eva on the first day we met, November 17, 2016~