Our Dear Gingerbread Dog

Today is a sad day in the Luce household. We lost a dear four-legged member of our extended family when my mom's elderly Beagle Ginger passed away early this afternoon. We don't know exactly how old Ginger was or what exactly her life consisted of prior to 2004, but we do know we will miss this beloved member of our family tremendously.

In the summer of 2004, Ginger became a resident of the Lawrence Humane Society. The family who turned her in had found her as a stray the year before, but felt like they could no longer keep her because she had food aggression issues, and they had small children. While they couldn't be sure about her age, they guessed she was somewhere around 8 years old when she arrived. The shelter staff thought she was closer to 10. We estimated she was closer to 12. Because of her advancing age, cataracts and partial hearing loss, Ginger wasn't exactly the most adoptable dog. She spent 9 months at the shelter waiting for her perfect family, but when none arrived, Chad and I decided to take her home as our 6th foster dog.

When we first brought Ginger home, we were worried that she was on her last leg. She was so lethargic and wanted only to sleep or lay out in the yard all day. We had the vet check her over to see if she was ill, but he assured us that she was fine--just old. We began to worry that we had inadvertently adopted a third dog, since we couldn't see how anyone would be interested in a companion so ancient and inactive. After a few days, Ginger came out of her brief depression and began to make herself at home. She got along with the boys well (except when it came to food issues), never had any accidents, and was content to lay out in a sunny yard all afternoon. She was slow as molasses on our evening walks and sometimes had to be carried, but after a couple of weeks of regular walking she was able to make it the entire 1 1/2 miles. She was by far the lowest maintenance foster dog we'd ever had.

My mom and Cliff had talked for several years about adopting a dog, but commuting and other travels made dog ownership impossible for them. Then, just around the time we brought Ginger home, Cliff made a job change that would allow him to be home most of the day. The timing was perfect, and Ginger was perfect too. They loved Beagles, and they definitely wanted a lower energy dog. I took Ginger over for a "home visit" with Mom and Cliff in Topeka, and they decided they would come to Lawrence the next day to fill out the paperwork. I informed them that usually it worked best with our foster dogs if their adoptive families picked them up from our house, because then they felt like they were getting to go somewhere special as opposed to being left behind at a new and strange place. As I told Mom and Cliff they could come pick Ginger up the next day, I opened the front door to leave, and Ginger just stood there and stared at me. I called her several times to come get in the car, but she just stood there, unwilling to walk out their front door. It was very obvious that Ginger knew she was home. I drove back to Lawrence alone, feeling wonderful that we'd found the perfect home for her.

Within weeks, Ginger and Cliff were so bonded you'd have thought they'd been together her entire life. She followed him everywhere he went--partially because he tended to feed her a lot--and they were constant companions. Mom diligently walked her and they bought her all the treats and toys a dog could want. Ginger couldn't have been happier, and she brought tremendous joy to Mom and Cliff's life as well. Although her health started declining just a few months after her adoption, her determination and love for life never seemed to change.

Ginger was a loyal companion throughout Mom's cancer treatment, and she picked a new favorite sleeping spot near my mom's bed to keep her company. I know Mom was thankful that there was always someone at home who was ready and willing to spend at day at rest. Ginger could nap with the best of them (see picture :).

A few months ago, when Mom was finally finished with chemo and starting to feel normal again, Ginger suddenly began having difficulty standing and walking. Mom and Cliff lovingly carried her in and out and upstairs and downstairs, and painstakingly cleaned up her messes as she became less able to control her bladder. They never complained about the burden, but always continued to thank us for bringing her into their lives. They were the most wonderful family she could have hoped for, and I have no doubt that the last year and 9 or so months were the best of her life.

The day after Christmas, Ginger began fighting an intestinal virus of some sort that just wasn't responding to treatment. Then yesterday, she began having frequent seizure-like episodes, and Mom and Cliff knew that it was time to let her go. I know her nephew Steeler was there to welcome her to the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

We miss you, little Gingerbread.

Ginger (bottom right) and her pack, March 2006. From left to right: her nephew Celtic, friend Tater (begging in center), nephew Steeler (top), and niece Hope.