A Cur Comes to Carolina: My Aunt Krissie: A Tribute

You may remember my Aunt Krissie who came to visit back in August with Bubbe and Zayde. That was the first time I met her and we spent a few afternoons together. She was very nice. After they got home, Bubbe and Zayde found out that Aunt Krissie was very sick. She had surgery and felt better, then she had to take a lot of very strong medicine that made her sicker. Her doggy doctor told Bubbe it would be best if they stopped the medicine, so they did. Last night, Aunt Krissie started to feel really bad, so Bubbe and Zayde took her to the doggy doctor this afternoon. She died today.

I was not born when Bubbe and Zayde adopted Aunt Krissie. She was about 3 or 4 when they got her. Bubbe and Zayde love her very, very much. Mama says Aunt Krissie was a very nice dog. Here's my mama:

We had a dog growing up, but that was a disaster-- the poor dog was unloaded on us by a family member. Krissie came along when my parents retired and were still going back and forth between Baltimore and Florida. They had wanted a dog for a while, and they found her in the local paper-- a woman was moving and giving away some of her pets. Her loss, my parents' gain.

Krissie was a funny little dog. My parents treated her like she was human, and she sure acted like it! Krissie didn't like treats or toys. She didn't play with other dogs. All she ever wanted to do was sleep and hang out with the humans. She got by on being super cute and small, and she was a big hit wherever she went. Krissie especially loved men-- the doormen at my parents' old building in Baltimore thought she was the greatest. One night, my mom and I were walking her near Johns Hopkins University, and we encountered a group of students, 4 guys and a girl. The girl was gushing over this adorable little creature, but Krissie wanted none of it-- she sidled right up to the boys for her rubs.

My parents adored her, particularly my stepfather. My stepbrother went to visit a few months after they adopted her, and he called me and said, "Who is this person???? He leans down and kisses this dog and rubs her and brushes her teeth every night. What did he do with my dad???" I used to love seeing her-- she was the doggy in my life. I cannot imagine the void she will leave.

Over the last couple of years, Krissie started to deteriorate. She was old, most of her teeth were gone, and she got ever lazier. As it turns out, she was pretty uncomfortable; she had an enlarged spleen and a tumor when my parents discovered the root of her problems. My mom is an oncologist and approached Krissie's treatment with that expertise, but unfortunately it didn't work well; her poor little body couldn't handle most of the chemo. She was happy but anemic and getting lethargic. It was time to let her go.

Krissie will always be remembered as the little pup who was the light of my stepfather's eye and a huge part of our family. As a dog mama myself now, I know my parents' pain will be very real and the grief hard to overcome. I cannot do much but comfort my parents and hug my own buddy very tightly. RIP, Krissie. You were a very good girl.

She used to lie on the floor of the guest room in Baltimore as I was packing up to go.