On Thursday, June 7, 2018 at approximately 5:30pm, we said our final goodbye to our Tootie (aka Betty, aka Elam Jwe's Flame) born January 21, 2005. She was rescued with her sister Zuzu (aka Dolly, aka Vera Wang Bennett) in autumn of 2009 from a puppy mill where they both produced numerous litters for pet stores. After losing our Weims, these two red dogs brightened and enriched our lives in unimaginable ways. Tootie was full of love and cautious trust. She was Zuzu's shadow as the two were inseparable, until now.
Tootie had a heart murmur which we monitored each year. During the past year, her murmur progressed and her heart began to expand, pumping and working harder and harder to oxygenate her body. She dropped weight, had coughing spells, and had difficulty breathing at times as her heart had expanded, pressing against her trachea.
She was medicated for her heart, for her thyroid, and for her cough, taking pills every morning and night. Her once bountiful and unending appetite began to wane while her water intake increased dramatically. The once ever present joy and love she share with us seemed to diminish as well with only spurts of happiness. Gone were her kisses, her excitement for food and car rides, and her tail wagging greetings in the morning.
Tootie filled our hearts with joy and, with her passing, has left a void which we will always carry.
