Dear LS friends,
Thanks to all of you who commented when I had my "backward slide" at the 6 week anniversary of Indy's death.
So many of you offered support and some profound comments on the body's need to protect itself from pain and sorrow.
I am feeling a little stronger now.
In fact, I have been wanting to go and visit my vet and bring her a thank you gift and letter. She was amazing and guided me through 2 very long years of caring for Indy and his chronic illnesses. I am a nurse and she shared information and detail with me on a professional level. She acknowledged my skill and expertise and never turned down a phone call or a visit when I had a "gut" feeling that something wasn't quite right. Her compassion during Indy's last hours are beyond compare. I could not have made it through that day if it were not for her support. I am lucky to have had a vet that is truly gifted and an asset to her profession.
I have not been strong enough to visit her or the animal hospital where Indy and I spent so much time.
I have also wanted to thank everyone there for their kindness and compassion. Many of the vet techs had special feelings for Indy and always offered extra TLC when he visited. Some cried on the day he died.
I am ready now.
I have written my "thank you's" and will stop in this week.
Thanks to all of you for getting me through some rough spots and helping me find my strength.

I miss my beloved "little man" and still can't believe he is gone from arms. He will never be gone from my heart.
Fran

Dear Fran, What a wonderful picture of you and little Indy I am so glad you posted it for us to see. I am glad you are feeling a bit better and will be able to take a thank you note and gift into the vet's office.

You are right our babies may be gone from our arms but never ever from our hearts. You have been a wonderful support to me too and I don't know how I would have ever made it without all the support I have found on LS. I'm sure there are still some rough times ahead but together we can make it.
Love, Ann

Oh Ann-
So good to see you back on the site!!
I hope you are feeling better.
Yes, indeed, it still is a long, hard road to healing and we all need each other.
I do love this picture of Indy & me. I have a copy of it on my desk at work.
When I look at it, I can almost feel his silky, soft fur...
Fran

Fran,

What a beautiful picture of you and sweet Indy. Also, I'm glad you've found the strength to visit your vet.

Ann - So nice to see you're back!! How are you feeling?

Lynn
XXOO

Hi Fran,

That is a great picture of you and Indy. I am glad you are feeling better.

Thanks for posting the picture so we can see how cute your little Indy was. I can tell by the way you look that he was truly your little boy.

Nancy (Sasha's Mom)

I just love the expression on Indy's face! Like "this is about me" I regret I did not have a pic of moose and I together so I made one.

Dear Fran,

I am so glad that you are feeling some relief.
I think the "Thank You" is a wonderful idea!
When I was ready, I too took a Thank You card and note to my vet. I even had a card for the staff there with a big tray of cookies. They ALL took care of my Rachael in their own way. The receptionist at the desk used to smile and ask Rachael how she was doing, the technician always gave her nice rubs and talked sweet to her when drawing blood, etc.....you get the idea. Even though they couldn't save my Rachael in the end, they were responsible for keeping her healthy and giving me almost 12 precious years. I even appreciate the vet that took her from me and helped end all her suffering, and I let her know that too.

Your vet sounds simply amazing and it's just so special of you to reconginize all that in her

Hugs,
Cheri

Great picture of you and Indy!Love the fact that he is looking right at the camera because it appears as though he is looking at us!LOL!

How big was Indy? I thought he was really tiny from the other pic but in this pic he looks a little bigger than I thought.

Thanks everybody for your encouraging comments.
Cheri- great idea! I will be getting a tray of cookies for the vet staff.
Pamela- You & moose were quite a team. I like how you put the picture together!!!
Indy was my little guy. You can tell I just beam when I showed him off. And boy was he a camera ham!!!
He seemed to know when his picture was being taken and always "posed"
To answer Bijou's Best Friend, my boy was solid and in his heyday weighed 29 pounds. He only stood around 14 inches tall because he had such stubby legs.

I do love to share things about him. Thanks for allowing me the chance to do so.
You guys are the best!!!
Extra hugs to you all,
Fran

Fran,
That's a gorgeous picture of you & Indy!!! Like Bijou's Best Friend, I thought Indy was a tiny little guy, but from the photo I can see he's bigger than I thought. What a poser! And who can blame him with such a handsome little face!!
And Pamela - Moose is a beauty!!

Love,
Elsie

Dear Indy's Mom,

No,thank you for sharing those adorable pics with us!

I noticed his cute little legs!LOL! Wow! He is so cute! 29 lbs with those little legs....and that face.What an adorable ham!

Wittley, Those cute little legs of Indy's fooled us!LOL!

They certainly did! Actually they really are the cutest little legs!!

LOL! Yes,Wittley they certainly are!

Now we can see where these beautiful doggies got their looks... they have beautiful mommies!

LOL!!!
We do have the same hair color!!

Hi, Fran-

I haven't been posting much lately because I've been busy with a new puppy (a little guy that was rescued off the side of a busy road), but I did want to let you know that you've been in my thoughts. I'm glad that you're feeling a bit stronger now. I know for me, it took a while before I could talk to my vet without crying. I was actually at her office yesterday and was able to talk about Shiloh without tearing up. I guess I'm healing. I still miss Shiloh terribly, but I am healing. It's a slow process, but it does get easier with time.

Take care,
Kathleen