“NO FEAR NELLIE” 2003-2019

We hoped for a definitive sign so that we wouldn’t have to make the decision. It didn’t happen. Today, by pre-arrangement, we said good-bye to our beloved pet Nellie. It seemed wrong to make such an appointment and then wait a day or two for the appointed hour while life went as usual. But of course, it wasn't "as usual" at all. It’s not a unique situation, so out of respect for you and your story, I won’t carry on – much.

A young Nellie

In 2013, when Nellie was in her tenth year, while still in apparent good health, she decided to retire from hunting. This was a dilemma since Mike wasn’t ready to hang it up. Enter Bess, and we became a two-dog family, which Mike justified by saying that the average lifespan of a German Shorthair Pointer is 11 years. We wouldn’t have two dogs for long, he said. I immediately thought of “The Pearl Necklace,” an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, where an old man convinces a young woman to marry him because he doesn’t have long to live. No spoiler alert.

Anyway, Nellie continued in slow age-related decline but basic good health. Initially, the worst of it was that she lost her hearing, but of course, the age issues were progressive. Today she was 15 ½.

I recall that summer of 2015 when Nellie sustained a rattlesnake bite at the farm. Mike drove her to our vet, who suggested he take her to the vet clinic at WSU. “Hey,” said Mike, “she’s gonna be 12 in a couple of weeks. We’ll just wait this out.” We made Nellie as comfortable as we could on the kitchen floor at the farm.

Learning of the bite, daughter Hallie called on “Face Time,” to ask if she should come to say good-bye. I told her I didn’t think it was the end.

“Show her to me,” insisted Hallie, so I carried my phone over to Nellie so that she could “Face Time” with Hallie. She was panting and had loss of appetite, but she came through that experience with her usual grace.

Hallie & Nellie during a camping trip

Mike has worked with German Shorthair Pointers for 50 years, and in recent years, the breed has been improved. Nellie was the first who truly related to people and became a family member. As son Clint put it, “Nellie was the first dog Mom liked.” I would say that she was as much my dog as Mike’s, and in these latter years, perhaps even more. KW

“No Fear Nellie”

9/11/2003 – 3/13/ 2019

[Photos of Nellie abound in my files, but today I show two that Hallie shared as her favorites.]