Baby Girl

This dirty little wet-faced girl is my Blanca. Mizz B hasn't had much of a presence here on da blog because she's a little camera-shy. It took me about 17 shots just to get this one. What can I say? She hates the paparazzi!

Monday, Lovey and I almost lost her. No eating or drinking, barely able to hold her head up, white-as-a-ghost belly, hacking cough each time she took a breath. A trip to the vet suggested bad things afoot. Text from Lovey said it all "doc says she doesn't look good".

Baby Girl (and Duffy) have been a part of my life for almost as long as Lovey. Lovey adopted/rescued them when we had been dating around 6 months. As a matter of fact, it did seem a little weird at the time that he wanted to adopt 2 fluffy white dogs. Mmmm. The initial plan was to adopt the male "Fluffy". However, he was raised with a girl bichon named Blanca. The rescue organization didn't want to separate them if possible so Lovey was talked into taking on both of them on a trial basis - two weeks.

The dogs had been neglected by their prior owners so they had issues. Blanca cried every night for a week which caused Lovey to pay extra attention to her needs. As a result, I took up time with Duffy (because Fluffy for a dog, no, just no!). And so it kind of went with our dynamic. And of course, the trial basis became permanent.

When Lovey was deployed, it was comforting to know that the little white dogs were so happy to see me when I came home at night. Made it a little less lonely. When Lovey was in Spain for 6 months, each weekend I'd load them both in the car and drive through neighborhoods looking for houses for us.

Over the past few years, Blanca and I have gotten closer. She spends more time with me - following me around, sleeping on the couch with me when the boys are outside. Girls have to stick together, you know. Especially since Big Brown (Pullo) has come on the scene.

Logically, I know that the little white dogs are getting older - aren't we all? But Monday was hard. Sitting there in the specialist's office, I looked over at Lovey's face. His expression said it all. I had been on the verge of tears since his first text came in, but I knew that if the doctor came back with horrible news, we were both going to be basket cases.

Baby Girl was diagnosed with heart failure. The doc gave her 3 medicines which has here almost back to her normal self. Her color is better, and she is back under my feet when I'm cooking dinner. Today she even ate peanut butter again (if Blanca or Lovey turn down peanut butter, call 911). With the medication, she should be around for another 8 month to a year or so.

I don't even want to think about the day she is gone. But one thing is for certain: for the next however-long, Baby Girl is going to have the loved kind of life every little dog envies.