It is with tears that I write this. We gave Angel her wings this morning. Her indominable spirit is now soaring free from the fragile, failing body that held her to this earth. I can picture her once again playing "runlikehell." We will never know if she was really a Havanese or not but our lady certainly had Havitude.
There simply are not the right words to describe Angel's amazing strength of spirit. With all her problems she still was determined to be in command of her little corner of the world. Until the last few weeks, she managed to overcome whatever troubles life sent her way. When I asked the orthopedic surgeon how she was still able to get around when she literally did not have a good leg to stand on he replied, "She's walking on will power."Her health problems finally became insurmountable. I did not want to wait until she was miserable. She had her favorite food for breakfast, a strawberry Poptart. At 9:00AM we said goodbye to the old lady who never forgot her place in this world & made sure to keep all the other dogs on the straight & narrow.
When I pulled Angel from the shelter in 2002 she was "only staying until the weekend." She became our foster for 3 years & has left her permanent mark on our lives. Attached is a copy of a message I sent to the list in early 2004 some time after Angel had been diagnosed with Cushing's but before it was under control. I had thought at the time that we would loose her soon. Once again though she proved me wrong. Angel always did things her own way & in her own time. The message shows her true strength, amazing will & ability to astound. She made us laugh so often. That is the way she should be remembered.
Laura