Sunday was a sad day in our house. We lost a friend. Someone how has been by our sides, through three moves, two babies, a wedding, 4 campers, countless weekend trips and all of the life that fits in between nine, almost 10, years.
Ryan and I got Staley as an 8 week old puppy. She was a rescue and was in foster care just a few days after being born. Her original name was Trinity and even though we lived in a townhouse, without a big yard, and already had Lily, my Golden, Ryan and I decided we wanted to try an adventure together. Staley was born in early January and a friend of a friend was a foster home for German Sheppard. I'd never owned a dog other than a Golden and I wasn't sure what we were getting ourselves into, but, now, looking back, I know that all we got ourselves into was a great dog. A smart dog.
Staley always had the softest ears, even until her last breath, you couldn't help but pet her soft ears. And, even though she had the bark of a Sheppard it was the only thing "Sheppard" about her. She had the heart of Golden and I think that has a lot to do with growing up right next to Lily.
Ryan picked the name Staley, as in the Chicago Staley's, in homage to his beloved Chicago Bears. It was a little bit about the Bears and a little bit about flying in the face of my love for the Packers. But, Staley was Ryan's first pet and he got to pick her name. Unless of course you count Slippy, a tiny frog that came to him in the mail for Christmas one year and somehow lived over 20 years. Staley was our first dog together. Of course, I already had Lily when I met Ryan, but Staley was our first joint dog. Our test before kids. Our first addition to making a family.
She was FAST! Playing catch was one of her favorite games and should could beat just about any other dog. I remember standing in the big open grass area outside of the townhouse and throwing the ball back and forth across the huge field, pitching it as far as we could just to try and get some energy out of her. Both Lily and Copper had to figure out how to play catch when Staley was around. Lily went with the tried and true method of just refusing to give the ball back if she ever got her jaws on it. Staley would then bite at Lily's legs until she got annoyed and finally gave up the ball so we could throw it again. With Copper, Staley went for the "barrel him over" philosophy that meant that Copper wouldn't even TRY to get the ball if Staley was anywhere close to him. So, you'd often find us throwing the ball in one direction for Staley and then quickly chucking a second ball the other way so the other dog could get a chance.
When Staley was about 2 years old she started losing a ton of weight and we were at a loss on what we should do for her. The vet couldn't figure it out and we were really worried we were going to have to put her down. Within less than 5 minutes of eating any kind of food she'd immediately need to go outside and go to the bathroom. She lost a lot of weight and was down to only around 40 lbs. For a large breed like a Sheppard a normal weight would be 75-100 lbs on a healthy dog. Then one day my friend Kristina was talking to a co-worker about Staley and the co-worker said "I think I know what she has....I'll bring you some medicine". Turns out the co-worker was right and she probably saved Staley's life! She gave Kristina some medicine to treat something called EPI. It's somewhat common it Sheppard's and it amounts to her pancreas not being able to digest food - which explained why she was losing so much weight and why she was needing to go to the bathroom so quickly. The medicine is a powder that we had to sprinkle on her food and let sit for a few minutes before she'd eat. The medicine would begin to digest the food so that when Staley ate it was able to be absorbed into her body instead of passing right through.
After we sorted that all out Staley did begin to gain weight and she was doing much better but I think Ryan and I both knew that we might not have the normal 10-15 years with her. But, we were lucky, the medicine did the trick and we got 8ish more years with her.
Like I said, she saw us through a lot of change in this family, two babies, three moves and lots and lots of road trips. She really didn't like riding in the car but she put up with us anyways. She'd start pacing the house as soon as she saw me packing back and was panting and losing hair as soon as we put her in the car. But, she was a GOOD dog. A good girl and a great "big sister" to Abby and Hazel. I didn't worry about her with the kids for one second. She might have looked like a Sheppard but she had the heart of a Golden and that and her soft ears will be the two things I will ALWAYS remember about her.
Staley didn't suffer for long in these last few days. And she passed away here at home with us. We all got a chance to give her a few hugs and kisses and pets and the girls got to say good bye. The final moments were really rough and we are all working through the sadness of losing her. I'll miss those brown eyes and soft ears. I hope you are chasing balls with Lily up there in Heaven. Hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma and Bubby and Lily and all the other people and pets we miss here on Earth every day. You were a good dog and we'll never forget you sweet girl.
