Sweet Hannah Marie

Tuesday morning I got a phone call from my mom. I could tell something was wrong because a) she rarely calls my cell phone during work hours and b) she was crying. She told me some news I knew was coming but wasn't ready to hear. My parents were going to have to put our 15-year old miniature dachshund to sleep. Since Thanksgiving she had hit a rough patch - losing weight, not eating. She is partially blind and this is going to sound weird for a dog, but her mental capacity was deteriorating, which was why she was not eating or drinking - she didn't know she needed to and she would get stuck behind doors or get "lost" in the house. They took her to the vet Monday and her calcium levels were elevated by 30%, which the vet thinks that means she has some type of cancer. My parents could tell she was in a lot of pain. Hannah Marie went to doggie heaven around 6:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday. My mom held her the whole time. She has three doggie cousins already there so I am sure they are keeping each other company!
We got Hannah Marie on Christmas Eve when I was 11 years old. She was so small when we got her she could sleep between the top of your shoulder and your neck. She loved to burrow under the covers so we always had to have blankets in her bed or on her spot on the couch. She also loved to eat! She was pretty hefty for a dachshund - she would eat anything and everything. My brother used to time her when she ate her dinner she would inhale it so fast. When she was younger, we would chase her through the house and aggravate her when she was chewing on her bones. I think she secretly liked it. :) She loved chasing squirrels and almost caught one a few times! She won 2nd place in the Weiner Dog Races at the Waco Fair - I don't know how she managed to do that...Whenever my mom would cook, she was always right underneath her barking for treats. And we all gave her treats! She ate whatever we ate for dinner! She would pee whenever someone she really liked would come over to the house - she would get so excited! When one of us was sick, she was always so sweet and would come and sit with us on the couch. I could never get her to sleep with me, though. I think I might have rolled on her or something one time when she would sleep with me. She really was a good dog and so sweet. Even though she could be obstinate and stubborn sometimes and run out into the street chasing runners or other animals. She survived being attacked by fire ants when she was a puppy and complete back surgery in Dallas. She was such a good dog and I am going to miss her so much!

Here are a few pictures. I don't have many...most are back at my parent's house in Texas so my brother sent me a few he had on his computer.

This was her spot on the couch - she could see out the back window.

This is her in her "day bed." We got this for her when she couldn't jump up on the couch anymore.