A TRIBUTE TO SIKADA

IN THE BEGINNING

A puppy was dropped in an apartment window well. Obviously the owners did not want her. She was a Terrier mix with Boston Terrier ears. They were as large as her head and stuck straight up. The gentleman whose window it was heard a whimpering sound outside.Finding the puppy all curled up in a ball, he scooped her up and took her to his parents home. He could not have pets at the apartment. His parents welcomed the puppy only until they could find a new home for her. They had her about a month when they planned on going on vacation. Lance worked with the gentleman who had the puppy. He asked if we would be willing to watch her while they went on vacation. Lance knew how adamant I was about not having a dog. I did not want the responsibility because we both work and having a dog is like having a child. Potty training, Dr. bills (Vet), license and tags, food, last but not least, cleaning up dog crap! However he also knew how excited Landon would be having a dog in the house. Landon had begged us for sometime to get a dog, and it would only be for 2 weeks right? What could the harm be?

Lance agreed to take the puppy for 2 weeks. She was potty trained and was told how obedient she was.

Coming home from a very stressful day at work I was greeted at the door by a barking puppy. My first words when I entered the house were, "HELL no we are not having a dog! What are we doing with this puppy?" "Tending it for 2 weeks", Landon said, picking her up and nuzzeling her neck. I yelled, "Gross, she is the homeliest puppy I have ever seen. Two weeks, that's it!" I was so mad.

That evening I was left home alone with the mutt. I will just ignore her and watch some TV I thought. As I sat in the recliner, she was at my feet wiggling her tail and staring at me with her BIG brown eyes. The best feature she had by the way. Still ignoring her I started feeling so guilty with what I said about her. After all she was abandoned in a window well. How mean and irresponsible was that?

I picked her up and laid her on my lap. She quickly curled in a little ball and went to sleep. "Oh how sweet." She melted my heart. 

She was very obedient, playful, and had the cutest personality. That was the beginning of our life with our new family pet.

Coming up with a name was a challenge. She did not look like any of the names we would come up with. Her tiny head and big ears made it hard to name her. Our son Clint  is an avid fly tier and came up with the name Cicada. A Cicada is a large winged insect that lives in trees and tall grass. I guess her ears reminded him of the large wings. The name fit but we spelled it with an S, Sicada.

 Sicada was a few months old here. She had the coloring and the ears of a Boston Terrier and the body of a Rat Terrier. She had a beautiful brindle coloring on her back.

We had Sicada for a little over 10 years. She brought so much LOVE and JOY into our home. She loved playing with other dogs, chasing a basketball around the yard with her nose, sitting on her butt with her paws hanging, begging for a treat, curling up in the small of our backs to go to sleep,  going for walks, and going on hikes with Riley was always a special treat for her. 

Landon was her buddy for years. Landon took her everywhere. She slept with him every night. I remember Landon and his friend Zach use to smootch with Sicada all the time. They thought she was so cute. We would tell them all the time, "Go get a girl friend."

When Landon got a dog of his own, Sicada was never the same. All his attention was with his new pet dog, Danner. Sicada felt left out and did not tolerate Danner at all. He was a very hyper  German Short Hair. Loveable and cute as Danner was, he was very clutsy and always getting hurt. Landon moved out with Danner so that gave Sicada some much needed relief.

Riley moved into our basement and immediatly adopted Sicada. She waited by the front door til he came home from work. When he would get ready to go with his friends, Sicada would get so excited thinking he was going to take her hiking. Her face lit up when Riley was around. She loved going on hikes with him at least once a month if not more. She would come home so worn out and tired.

I taught Sicada how to roll over. She struggled at first because her belly had gotten so fat, but she did it. She loved rolling over. When I would come home from work she would follow me in the kitchen and immeditatly start rolling over and over she wanted a treat that bad.

She loved chasing birds all around the back yard. 

She loved digging in the garden to find mice. We would say MICE and point to the dirt. She would dig forever til her head was covered in dirt.

She loved camping 

She hated getting a bath but never moved a muscle.

She loved going on hikes with Riley

She loved going for walks and was so deciplined

She loved cheese, doggy treats, and licking Lance's plate or bowl clean.
She loved licking Clints hands for several minutes til his hands were smooth like a babies butt. 

She hated fireworks

She loved playing with other dogs

She loved following Lance to the chicken coop everyday to gather eggs.

She loved US

We could tell she was aging by the way she started snoring at night, getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and didn't like playing with other dogs so much. Her eyes started milking over from cataracts. The Vet did an ultra sound of her bladder and found 3 golf ball size stones. She was miserable. Peeing all over the house, taking 30 minutes to relieve her bladder was painful to watch. Surgery was not an option for us. We did not have the means to pay for a $3,000.00 surgery, yet we could not end her life either. We loved her and she still had life in her. She still lit up when we were around, chase birds, and go on hikes. She got worse though and we could see it in her face.  She got so sad and was having a hard time walking. We had to let her go to a better place and relieve her of her pain.

Wait, she will be much happier here with us than up there where she knows nobody.  We'll pray her illness away. We do not want to be without her. I just can't do it. 

So a few more weeks would go by and I'm still cleaning up pee from the hall way and kitchen floors. Her tail still wiggles when she sees us, and she still follows Lance to the chicken coop everyday. She loves us and we love her. We'll wait awhile longer. 

I was being selfish! I did not want to end her life! She no longer could walk on her back leg. She took 30-40 min for her to empty  her bladder now, but she still begged for treats, and lit up when we came home. She still wanted to follow Lance all around the yard and to the chicken coop everyday. How can we do it?

I finally got tied of cleaning up her pee and watching her struggle. Lance and I decided to take her to the Vet and put her down. I could not go. Lance went alone. Sicada was not her usual self at the Vet's office. She usually would growl and fight not to go in and snip at the Dr. She hated the Vet. But this time was different. She didn't fight, was nervous, but didn't act mean at all.The Dr. came in and slipped a nuzzel over her nose, picked her up and held her in her arms and gave her the SHOT that would put Sicada to sleep. Sicada did not fight it, snip or growl at her. She was calm as if she knew what was about to happen.

Lance said he was fine until her ears laid back and she went limp and then he could not hold back any longer. He came home and buried her inside the back gate in the garden area where she use to love to dig when we would get the garden ready. He placed a rock over the grave.

I am having the hardest time with this. Should we have some how borrowed the money and had the surgery? She probably would have lived a few more years with no pain. I think about her and what she must be feeling. There is no one up there that she knows. Is she happy? I miss you so much Sicada and want to thank you for all the JOY you brought into our home.

Sicada's last hike. Saturday August 13th  2011

 Riley  took Sicada on a lot of hikes. It seemed to be her favorite thing to do. This time on her last hike, Riley noticed that she stopped for the longest time and just looked all around as if she knew she would never see this beautiful sceenry again. Then she followed Riley up the trail.

Thank you Riley for all the love and taking me on all the awesome hikes with you.