On the Homefront: Blog on Hiatus in Memory of Diamond

Our beloved Diamond (2004-2012)
We will always love you, Little Girl.

One of our beloved dogs passed away yesterday after a slightly more than two-year struggle with renal disease.  Diamond was only eight and a half years old.  She came to us when she was three from a Dalmatian Rescue group in Atlanta.  She was such a sweet and wonderful girl we were amazed that it took so long for her to find a forever home.  Diamond had been picked up as a stray when she was about a year old, and had obviously already had puppies at some time.  There was an old scar around her neck, probably from being tied up, and various small bite wounds bearing testament to rough times in her life.

The first couple to adopt her both worked full-time and lived in an apartment.  They decided that they did not have time for her and rather cruelly dropped her off at their local shelter instead of returning her to the loving foster home she had come from.  We adopted her almost immediately, and all of the life changes proved to be difficult for her.  She was ill for about two weeks, but a bland diet and plenty of love brought her around, as well as the fact that we adopted her best friend, another Dalmatian named Gia, at the same time.  Our two girls soon began to thrive.  Both turned out to be sweet, people-loving dogs, but Diamond in particular bonded with me.  She was finally a beloved house pet, which was all she ever wanted in life.

Unfortunately, an attack three years later by an aggressive off-leash dog resulted in a cruciate ligament injury for our poor girl.  The subsequent surgery and medication led to the renal disease which took her from us yesterday.  Even up until recently she was always a happy, playful girl who loved her squeaky football toy and the comfort of snuggling on sofa pillows.  We managed her disease well until this past May, when she began to show signs that the renal condition was progressing.  She put up a valiant fight, and remained sweet and cooperative to the end, but it finally became just too much for her, and we had to let her go.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life, and I am heartsick with grief.  She will be loved and missed forever.  Good-bye, my sweet Diamond -- I will see you again some day.