Cilla

Cilla passed away December 12, 2008 at approximately 7:00 PM. Cilla came to live with us around 2002. She had lived with our daughter Tracy and her husband and children. However, their home burned and they decided they did not want to take Cilla to the new home. Both adults worked and were gone a lot leaving Cilla alone. Cilla began to chew shoes and was quite destructive. After the fire we kept Cilla and when they decided they did not want her back we invited her to live with us. Cilla had a problem with heart worm which was successfully treated however Cilla had a cough, and she often coughed up some phlegm.

If Cilla ran or got real excited she would cough. I often wondered how long her heart would stand the strain of coughing and shortness of breath. When we got Cilla in 2002 she was 6 years old, when she passed yesterday we estimate her to be 12.

She was a good dog. We never had any trouble with her chewing anything. Sometimes we underestimated her bladder capacity and she had an accident in the bathroom on a rug. Sometimes she seemed to have a digestive tract problem and would have a BM in the house, same place. In the last few years there were days when she just did not seem to feel well. She would get lethargic, listless and slept a lot. However, we also discovered that she suffered seizures which seemed to really take the starch out of her. Perhaps the days she didn't feel well were the aftermath of a seizure.

Regardless Cilla was a courageous little dog. She enjoyed life. Some of the favorite things were to sit in the recliner with Terry while we watched TV. If Terry were not here and I was in my recliner then she would come and want to sit next to me. However, if Terry were in her chair, that is where she wanted to be, even to the extent that she would get up off my lap and want to be put down so she could go sit with Terry. I didn't mind, I took up more room in the chair and she could snuggle down between the chair my leg. With Terry she could. It got funny because she always sat on Terry's left side. However if Terry got up she would shift to the right side or lay cross ways in the chair. When Terry returned she would tell Cilla to move over and she would.

Another favorite position was if I were working on the computer she would come and stand in front of me. She didn't beg, she just looked at you. I would pick her up and hold her in the crook of my left arm while I read news, sports or read emails. She would lay astraddle of my arm with her head resting on my forearm. She was comfortable, but sometimes in the summer it would get too hot.

Cilla was a bit of a persnickety eater. She ate mostly table scraps. If I had bacon and eggs she would enjoy a bit of my bacon which I tore up and distributed around the plate. I would tell her she had a plate full of bacon, but I think she tolerated my lame joke. If we had breakfast sausage Terry would give her some of hers. We tried dog food in pouches, cans, and dry. If we waited long enough she would eat it, but I always had the impression that she wanted table food. She liked spaghetti and goulash. She did not like fish. Cheese, oh boy, she loved swiss, cheddar and colby. I did not give her a lot, but if I opened a package of cheese she would come down off the couch, chair or wherever to share in her treat. If I opened a package of lunch meat, particularly ham she would drift in from wherever she was with her little nose twitching in anticipation of getting a morsel, which she often did.

Cilla was not a real active dog. However she really enjoyed our walks around the property. She would sniff and poke and explore taking in all the smells. I often wished she could tell me what story she was learning. Cilla was an exuberant little dog, often stamping her feet, lurching in enticement as she searched and teased. She never got very far away and if we got into deep grass tried to stay close.

Cilla loved to go for rides in the car. If you said do you want to go for a ride she would come and stand in front of me stamping her front feet in anticipation. If you walked out the door she would be right at your feet not wanting to miss a moment.
When Terry and I went grocery shopping she sat on Terry's lap looking out the window as we drove to the store. Then she sat in Terry's chair and would wait patiently for our return. Sometimes I would take her in the truck out to the feed store to get bird feed. She would come over and sit half on my lap and snuggle while we rode to do our errand.

In some ways she was a demanding dog. But what she demanded was affection, nothing else. She loved to have her ears scratched and her tummy rubbed. She was a loving little dog with a heart as big as her tiny little body. We will miss her. She will be fondly remembered for as long as Terry and I live. Thank you Cilla for being a part of our life.