Thyme
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This is Thyme-- Ch. Storybook's Once Upon A Thyme--our keeper from our very first litter of Storybook Pugs. Thyme became more of an inspiration at the dog shows, and on outings, than she ever was when she was in the ring! Years ago our vet asked how long she had walked "like that." I watched her and was startled that I hadn't noticed she walked any differently... but she was... a "mechanical" movement in the rear--very slight, but it was there. She was probably 6 or 7 when this happened. X-rays showed some disc compression in her back, obviously the cause. We owned her parents and they had no movement issues. We also owned her sister, who eventually did much later than Thyme. . . I worried Thyme and her sister Hayley might have banged their backs under our bar stools. I took Thyme to a chiropractor, and to an acupuncturist, but could not stop the progression of lameness. Once we decided to get Thyme wheels, she was no longer a source of despair to me, but rather a joy and inspiration to me and others. Thyme would rush up to someone in her wheels, and pose like a show dog. She always made people smile. There was an occasional "oh, that's so sad" from people, and I would just tell them she was exactly the opposite. She was JOY. We expressed Thyme's bladder for years, and Thyme was constantly battling UTIs. Other than that, her life was happy and she enjoyed every day. During the day she stayed in the kitchen, in a Rover pen with carpet, and when my husband got home she was on his chair watching TV. She went to the dog shows with us to meet and greet people, sat at our kitchen table in her car seat, or listened to my husband play the guitar. In fact, her final gift to us was in our motor home. She had been declining but was still happy. She sat in her little round bed next to Bob as he hand fed her dinner, and a cookie. Then she took a deep breath, and laid her little head down. That was her final breath. No terrible decisions, and vet appointment to euthanize her. But with us on her own terms. I've always been so grateful for that. We were so blessed to have shared 14 years with her!
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