Brandy


(Pic 1. Our first Christmas with Brandy 1992,) ( Pic 2. Following year, 1993 ) ( last pic, at age 16 or 17 in 2005 going on 2006)

Missed by: Diane, Jim, Jennifer and Justin Wagner

Our loving companion Brandy was never meant to live past seven months, yet we were blessed with her for 17 years. We got Brandy three days before Christmas in 1992 through a friend who could no longer take care of her. Being only a few months old she was a bundle of energy.

Unexpectantly on Christmas Eve after my brother and I had gone to bed, my parents found Brandy tense, shaking, unable to walk and completely zoned out. After bringing her to the vet we found out that she had this rare handicap called Myasthenia gravis. It is a neuromuscular disorder primarily characterized by muscle weakness and muscle fatigue. This disorder greatly affected her back legs so that one minute she would run, jump and play normally and the next minute she couldn't use her back legs at all.

We were very happy to learn that this was not painful for her. Her handicap never held her back from playing and going for walks. Through the years she was there for us in so many ways. She was the old friend who would listen to us when we had a bad day or a bad moment and almost seem to say , " It's going to be alright, you'll get through it look at me" She was an inspiration to us all.

In 2005 while playing in our kitchen she lost her balance and fell dislocating one of her hips. It was a heartbreaking moment, seeing your friend in so much pain and not being able to help take away the pain instantly. She was never the same after that moment, because of that incident she lost even more strength in her legs and in a matter of a year her health had plummeted to the point where she was wearing diapers and needed help eating. In early October of this year we as a family made the immensely painful decision to put her down. She had taken care of us for 17 years, it was time to return the favor.

On October 3rd 2006 Brandy was put down. It's absolutely heartbreaking to put your best friend of 17 years down. She was a wonderful dog and an even better companion. Things are still not quite the same around herewithout her . Even though we have another dog Minnie who we have had for six years, we will always miss our Brandy who up to the very day that we put her ro sleep welcomed us home whenever we walked through the door.

She will always have a special place in our hearts and in our home because best friends like her never leave completely, she is still here welcoming us home everyday, but now she uses her wings to reach us ... not her legs.