First of all, I really named my puppy for my mom. She was born Patricia Louise, baptised Patricia Louise, and somewhere along the line someone got confused and it became Patricia Lucille: hence the name Lucy Lou for Lucille Louise, My mom had her cancer surgery Oct 13th 06 and we found out at that timne that she was stage 3. (My cousin, Susan, said the doctor said "the far side of stage 3" but I didn't hear that. The next day, even though my dad had told the gardener to make the back yard dog safe, my dog Bailey got out and I never saw him again. I grieved in silence as there was so much going on with my mom but I loved that dog so much. I had rescused him from someone who was taking him to the pound. Months later, I got Lucy Lou and the rest is history. I picked her up from the emergency hospital and transferred her to the emergency clinic for overnight observation and continued treatment on the advice of the vet. She was listless but with the heartbeat of a marathon runner. She is now at the emergency clinic overnight still receiving fluids and being monitored and I miss her so. Today has been a day of sobbing because of the overload and reliving the sense of and possibility of loss. Lucy Lou has been the one to give me momnents of laughing in spite of the loss of my monm and it is just one too many bad things going on. I'm still working of getting the frigging house sold and life just feels too much. I had a grieving counseling appt. with hospice today that I had to cancel as I was getting Lucy taken care of, It's just all too much.