A Tribute To Our Beloved Heidi

Heidi turned 10 years old on May 1st.  On May 3rd, we made the devastating decision to have her euthanized.

Heidi was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma the end of January, and bounced back through 4 radiation and chemotherapy treatments.  On Wednesday of this week, she was supposed to have another chemo session, but her white blood cell count was too high.  The last 2 days were a struggle for our dear little dog, fighting nausea and developing a “cough.”  We were hopeful antibiotics would take care of the infection, but early this afternoon had to rush her to the emergency clinic when her tumor started bleeding.

The only comfort from being at the clinic was that the veterinarian treating her was the same vet who cared for our other beloved miniature schnauzer Alex, and Dr. Perry remembered us.

We adopted Heidi from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Miniature Schnauzer Rescue on Jan. 27, 2008, and she immediately became a treasured family member.

She was our beauty girl, and will remain forever in our hearts.

Heidi loved us and we loved her.  We also learned many things from her:

- Take time to stop and smell the roses (or whatever is on the ground when going for a walk);
- Patience (she would sit patiently and watch us eat, and wait quietly by the door to go outside);
- Always hold your head high, and if you’re feeling good about yourself, strut a little;
- Loyalty;
- Actions speak louder than words;
- Guard/watch out for your loved ones;
- Live in the moment;
- There’s always time to play ball;
- Start each morning with a few good stretches;
- Get plenty of sleep (naps help, too);
- Be thankful for clean water and food (even if it’s brown and dry);
- Unconditional love;
- Keep those you love close;
- Big hearts come in small packages!

“She is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are her life, her love, her leader.
She will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of her heart.
You owe it to her to be worthy of such devotion.”

-Author unknown

Treasure your 4-legged family members.

Jean, Lynn, Chris and John Peterson