Frankie was not a judgmental dog. So I was sad, and little bit angry, to discover that some people have used praise of Frankie’s Fund, which is dedicated to helping homeless senior dogs get a great sendoff, to diss others’ ways of saying good-bye to their pets. Judge Much? As far as some folks are…
Frankie’s Fund: A Progress Report
Last week I introduced Frankie’s Fund, administered by Grey Muzzle. The Goals–And the Gets [olimometer id=1] Goal: [olimometer_target id=1] Left to Raise: [olimometer_remaining id=1] It’s devoted to providing palliative care to homeless senior dogs so they can leave this life in comfort, feeling loved. And of course to keeping my beloved Frankie, who retired with…
Frankie’s Fund: Help Give Every Dog a Great Sendoff
Many people have asked if there was an organization to which they could donate in Frankie’s memory. This has touched me no end. I confess that Frankie was not very philanthropic. Like most dogs, he was your basic narcissist: My food, my yard, my person. But I was that person and he gave me endless…
If Your Pet Was a Tree, What Type Would He Be?
I wrote not long ago — a far shorter time than I could have anticipated — what my wishes were for Frankie’s remains. I thought I had plenty of time to find a way for him to assist in medical research. I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. I asked the hospice vet for ideas,…
Grief — & Relief: Consulting a Hospice Veterinarian
There’s a comforting old saw that, to me, deserves to go the way of the myth of unconditional love: Your pet “will tell you when it’s time.” Frankie has dementia and he’s blind but he’s fairly healthy. He lets me know when he wants to go outside to relieve himself but he can’t always find…
Operation Spoil Frankie: A Progress Report
It’s been a little more than a week since I decided on a departure plan for Frankie: Wait until November 1 to say good-bye and, in the meantime, spoil him by giving him delicious treats and by not forcing him do anything he doesn’t want to do, such as riding in cars and going for…
Letting Go: Things That Go Bump In The Night — And the Day
One of my bookshelves collapsed the other day and the handyman said that, in order to fix it, I would have to remove all the books, not just those that had already fallen down. So I started piling them up on the floor of my guest bedroom, which usually doesn’t have piles of books on…
The Frankie Diaries, 9/22: How Do You Assess a Dog’s Mental Quality of Life?
I’m just back from the gym, where I ran into Joan,* my one-time dog-walking friend. I haven’t seen her in at least a year, but I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately, and not because I miss our walks. I really like Joan, but got the sense she viewed our outings as exercise opportunities…