Date of Death: 

February 12, 2022

Our beautiful girl, Bella, passed away yesterday.  She fought a hard battle with her cancer and gave us four extra months with her.  We noticed her slowing down over the weekend and thought there was an infection.  She was given antibiotics and it seemed to help, but she was still clearly not well.  Then Wednesday she seemed to rally and for one perfect, beautiful day, she was our bouncy, sassy, rambunctious puppy again.  She chased Indy around the yard and visited with out neighbors, and absolutely lit up when her mama got home from work.  It was a truly perfect day.  But then midday yesterday, she came into my office to get me, laid down, and wouldn't get back up again; she was telling me she was ready to go.  I called my wife home from work and we took her to Bluepearl Pet Hospital in Rockville, MD where they diagnosed her with bleeding into her abdomen, that her cancer was back and had ruptured.  Even if they'd tried surgery, it would've been unlikely to assist, with low or no chance of significant recovery.

My wife and I made the incredibly painful decision to let her rest, and the staff took care of everything else.  We were in the room with her as she passed, my wife rubbed Bella's back and I knelt with my forehead pressed to Bella's, the same way we always said goodnight to each other the last four years.  She passed peacfully and without pain.