Gizzy's Lessons on Life

Not quite 3 years ago, my boyfriend and I adopted a little black Pomeranian mix dog from the local dog pound. Bear in mind that my boyfriend is not really a dog person, but he knows that I am not a cat person so it was clear that he was willing to settle for what I preferred.

When we went to the pound to see what they had available, I had mixed feelings about getting another dog. We had just lost my 8-year-old dog a few weeks prior, and I was not sure if I was ready for another one. However, my boyfriend suffers from PTSD due to his 21 years in the Army and he was having trouble coping without companionship at home whenever I was away.

There were 5 or 6 dogs in the pens at the pound -- all but one were big dogs that I was not comfortable with since we did not know anything about them. But there was this little black ball of fur that stood at the fence whining for us to pet him. We asked the attendant if we could see him out of the pen and followed her inside.

I followed the attendant over to the gate of the pen, while my boyfriend stayed about 6 feet behind us and squatted down near the floor. When the gate was opened, the ball of fur ran to the attendant and me but did not stop for more than a few seconds! Instead, he made a beeline for my boyfriend and when he reached him he turned around, backed in between his legs and promptly sat down right there! No matter how much we called to him, he would not move! He had definitely decided that he had found his human!

Needless to say, we filled out the application and returned home to wait! We also talked about names and made plans for bringing him home. We decided that Gizmo would be a great name for him (Gizzy for short) and we were elated when the attendant called to tell us that we could pick him up a couple of days later.

We brought Gizzy home on the afternoon of Halloween! That evening when my grandchildren came trick-or-treating, they were very excited about the new dog and Gizzy was excited about them as well! We decided we had made a good choice!

The next day we took Gizzy to the vet for some shots and to be checked over. We were a bit saddened when the vet announced that he had a slight heart murmur and that he was probably 9 or 10 years old rather than the 5 or 6 years given to us by the pound. (My other dog had died of congestive heart failure.) The vet quickly reassured us that she thought the murmur might be due to a possible infection in one of his teeth and recommended a dental cleaning.

5 weeks later, Gizzy had his dental cleaning and everything seemed to be okay. But less than a week later he was terribly sick and we returned to the vet. She kept him because he was dehydrated and ran some labwork on him. A few hours later, she called us with the results -- Gizzy had kidney and pancreas issues and she suspected that the anesthesia used for the dental cleaning had caused the issues to flare up.

For 3 days we waited and visited Gizzy each day. On Friday, he was sent home with us -- the vet told us that she was not sure if he was ready or not, but there would not be anyone there that weekend to follow up with him. She felt like he would be best off with us for the weekend rather than the boarding staff.

On Monday morning, we were elated to be able to report to the vet that Gizzy was back to his normal antics and was feeling much better! We started feeding him a special prescription dog food and special treats as well.

Over the next few months, Gizzy progressed to develop diabetes but his outlook on life remained chipper and playful! He loved cuddling with whoever he could find to cuddle with! He did not even seem to mind the insulin shots -- not too much, anyway! He developed cataracts, but we knew there was no way to remove them due to his reaction to anesthetics. This dog was definitely costing us more money than we had planned, but we loved him in spite of the medical issues!

About a year ago, Gizzy became very lethargic and was not eating or drinking like normal. I made an appointment and labwork was once again completed. When the results came in, the vet called me -- she said we should start preparing ourselves because Gizzy's kidneys and liver were failing.

We talked about the situation, and decided to let Gizzy tell us when he was ready to call it quits. We watched him closely for signs that he was ready to go, but nothing. Halloween came and went; so did Thanksgiving and Christmas! Even the vet marvelled at how long Gizzy was enduring!

Last week, Gizzy stopped eating but not drinking. He started having spells of vomiting and spent hour after hour curled up in a corner of our bedroom closet. On Friday, we made the difficult decision that it was time for him to leave us. When I called to make the appointment, I could hear the receptionist's voice crack when I told her why we needed to come in.

Although our hearts have been broken, I keep trying to focus on the life lessons that Gizzy taught us in the time he spent in our household.

1. Don't be afraid to go after what you want! All of us at WA are going after what we want -- an online business and a lifestyle that is less restricting!
2. Make the best out of whatever situation you find yourself in! If you find yourself in a challenging situation, find a way to see the positive side or the silver lining! Affiliate marketing can be hard and challenging work, but look for the positive twist of being your own boss or being able to spend more time with your family!
3. Don't give up! There is no way of knowing what moment success will arrive -- if you give up, you will never know!

Gizzy is no longer with us, but I will never forget the determination that dog displayed! He definitely was an inspiration to everyone that knew him!