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| Name: |
Nilla
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Age: |
Deceased, Twelve years old
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| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Pit Bull Terrier
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| Home: |
Longview, Texas, USA |
This sweet girl here is my Nilla (like a Nilla Wafer). I just recently had to make the hard decision to let her go to heaven to be with her sister Zoey.
I have two other dogs of breeds currently and two cats ... but there was no love as powerful and bonding as the love of this girl. I told myself that I did not want to get another big dog, and especially another pitbull. They are a powerful and strong breed that make people nervous and turn away. Nilla was no exception to either of these attributes yet she was the perfect exception.
She was the most kind and gentle animal that I have ever owned. Being a pit bull, people were scared of her. She did look scary, I will admit. But when I looked at her, all I saw was love and kindness. Her heart shined through her smile every day. Her big slobbery kisses to everyone that met her, her giant wagging tail, her paw that she wanted to "shake" with everyone, and how she never grew out of her "lap dog" mentality ... even when she was 103 lbs are just a few examples of why she was so special. She never met a stranger. People were what made her happy. I never had to worry about her with anyone. I knew that she would love everyone she met unconditionally.
I will never forget when we would take her to dog parks. She did not care about the other dogs. She wanted to hang out with the people and "talk." We tried to get her to play and socialize with the other animals. Sometimes, people would leave and pull their dogs away from her. It hurt my feelings and I know that it hurt hers too. But she knew there were more people to love.
Earlier this year, she was diagnosed with kidney failure. We tried everything. We fought for her, and she fought for us just as hard. The last time we visited the vet with her for her final report, we were told that she had a couple of weeks max to live. I was devastated. I couldn't imagine my life without this girl. I didn't want to have to imagine life without her. I know that she didn't want to let me go either.
God gave us an extra week with this precious girl. Our last evening together we went on a long car ride, shared some ice cream, laid in the grass outside in the beautiful Texas weather, and loved on each other. We could tell that it was her time to go. I promised myself that I would stay with her until the very end and I did. It was a very hard thing to have my hand on her heart and to feel it stop beating. But I know that being there with her, calmed her heart and that is all that mattered. She had been calming my heart every day for the past twelve and a half years.
We always told Nilla that "she had the best heart of all the doggies in all the lands." I always referred to her as "my oldest and most precious possession." Those two statements will never change, no matter what doggies come along. There will never be another Nilla.
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