Meet Sheldon McSheldy
I could title this post “Life is Like a Box of Chocolates - You Never Know What You’re Going to Get” or maybe borrow a line from a Garth Brooks song, “I’m glad I didn’t know ... the way it all would go…”
This is one of the first pictures I saw of Sheldon. He was still with the rescue group.
My life with Sheldon has not been at all what I anticipated when I brought this little guy into my life!
Every time I’ve said goodbye to one of my sweet dogs, I have taken time for travel and doing things that I tend to do less when I have a dog. But my last pup, Gilly, died in April 2020 when the world was stuck in Covid restrictions. So travel would have to wait, which meant getting another dog would wait as well.
Fast forward to November 2021: while much of the world was back to normal, for various reasons, I had not done any significant travel and so still didn’t feel like it was time to get a dog. But of course I missed the company of a pup, so I inquired about a senior hospice dog needing his final forever home. Sheldon had both diabetes and Cushing’s disease, and because of his advanced age, was not being treated for either. This was a prerequisite of mine, as I knew I didn’t want a dog who needed daily insulin shots. No one could say for sure, but 6 months would probably be a stretch if he could make it that long.
While I knew taking a hospice dog wouldn’t be all fun and games, he seemed like the right dog at the right time. I would give him the best 3-6 months (or however much time he had left) possible and make sure he knew how loved he was before we said goodbye. So arrangements were made, and the senior rescue group he was with drove him from AZ to CA so we could begin this final chapter of Sheldon’s life together.
On December 16, 2023, two short months from now, we will celebrate our two year anniversary together! Whaaaat?! Yep, it’s true. So, how is this little hospice dog still alive?!
About a month after Sheldon came to live with me, I took him to my local integrative vet and was told that if Sheldon were put on insulin, he could still live a ‘long’ time! That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear! I thought I had asked all the right questions and knew what I was getting into, but it was a little more complicated than that. I’m just going to cut to the chase. I made the decision to start insulin shots twice a day, and that is why he’s still alive, still eating like a horse and still an active part of my life!
To paraphrase the song I referenced above, ‘The Dance’, Brooks says if he knew how much pain he would go through, he would’ve never signed up in the first place, but he acknowledges that he also would’ve missed the beauty and the love of the relationship, and so Brooks sings, “I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would end, the way it all would go.”
Had Sheldon already been a dog on insulin, it would’ve been a hard pass from me. And there are a number of ways that make him the neediest and most difficult dog I’ve ever had. But I’ve also had some valuable insights about myself, about relationship, and about life, and he has definitely wriggled his way into my heart. The difficulties and struggles I have with him have actually grown the love I feel as much as the positive aspects.
What this means isn’t simply that I love him more because of the struggles; it means that my capacity to love has grown as a result. I have a greater love to give because of him, and for that, I will always be grateful.
Although our story isn’t over yet, I already know ‘I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would go’. We’re still in the dance, so stay tuned.
Sheldy is looking particularly handsome after a bath.
