Update Link: Warning Shots – Part 22
Camp NaNoWriMo Tracker

I’ll be updating again on Saturday to make up for missing yesterday.

Yesterday morning, my sister texted to let me know that the day we’d been dreading for a few months had arrived — my parents’ dog, Max, was at the end of his battle with kidney disease. He’d been diagnosed about two years ago, but treatment had kept him pretty much the same until the last few weeks. I told her I’d come down after summer school was done at 10 to be with my mom  for a little because I knew she’d take it hard. I thought he’d gone to an emergency vet overnight and, well, it was already over. But I learned after work that it wasn’t, and that I’d have time to say goodbye, to be there.

Max was 15, an ancient age for Shih-Tzus who live to be about 10-16. He was the sweetest dog and shared a birthday month with my cat, Sasha (April 2009) though they were always suspicious of each other. He was my sister’s dog first (and my niece used to cry whenever I’d pick him up for grooming or to look after while they were on vacation because she was two), but then in his later years, the steps were too much, and he moved to live out his golden years being pampered by my parents. Dad cooked him his own food, and tried to tempt him with pretty much everything the last days — even steak filet.  He lived with us when he was a puppy, and my sister and her husband were saving for the house down payment, and was besties with our Husky/Border Collie, Zoe, whom we lost in 2012 to from complications of epilepsy. I like to think they’re puppies again together, chasing each other somewhere. Maybe the squirrels Max hated or the kids on bike Zoe considered her mortal enemy.

Anyway, I went down, we went to the appointment, and not surprisingly, I couldn’t really get myself together the rest of the day. I kept thinking I’d try writing at 4, 5, or even 6, but eventually I gave up and just decided to move on and skip today entirely.

In more writing news, Camp NaNoWriMo got started yesterday, though I’m a day behind. I’ll include the link above if you want to follow me on the tracker.

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