Scratch, the Weimaraner’s, Favorite Things Bucket List in Memory of Scratch

Weimaraner owners all accept their weim is not a dog…it is not a pet…it is their best friend, a lifelong companion, except, our poor Weimaraners can only commit to the span of their lifetime. And what a short amount of time that is when our baby…partner…buddy…accompaniment…playmate…trusted friend…bed partner…chum…confidant…side kick…sweet love…door greeter…travel companion…fur face…becomes a senior dog, and we find ourselves moments away from making the hard decision to say goodbye forever. This was such the despair when we found our sweet jubilant Scratch rushing too quickly to the end, against her own will. It started one October night when we returned home to find Scratch had a series of seizures.

Without going too deeply into what caused Scratch to leave us (that’s for a different day), suffice it to say, it was the first sign of the brain tumor that took her from us 14 months later. Throughout the last 14 months of her life, Scratch fought hard to stay alive, resisting the inevitable until her final few days. Once we knew this was the beginning of the end, we entertained Scratch with an excess of her favorite things. A bucket list, of sorts…perhaps…as…the list of Scratch’s hopes was always more of what she had. You may sing this to the tune of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s, My Favorite Things, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSUyD1I9OoU.

Scratch loved us. She loved family, she loved being cared for and about, and she loved caring for us. Scratch also loved her fur siblings, and they loved her. She was their matriarch, and they were lost when she became ill. As Scratch was dying, Khaleesi (her blue weim sister whom she raised), Mr. Bojangles (her foster adopted brother) and Shadow (her foster adopted cousin) could tell something was wrong and often and in varied ways tried to communicate with us to help her. Khaleesi tried to comfort her always, but Scratch looked to us when she became confused and frightened. In an effort to comfort her in her last month, we celebrated Scratch’s life by remembering everything she loved and giving it to her in excess. Everyone in the house, and everyone whom cared for her, benefitted.