May 30, 2021

 

Hi Shirley,

 

It is with a heavy heart that I write this email to you today.  I'm not sure if you remember us, but we are the Carlo family...Fran, Dawn, Allison and Lauren.  We adopted Chuck on February 20, 2009.  The girls were just 11 and 8 years old.  They just turned 24 and 21 last week.

 

Soon after Chuck came home to his forever home, we renamed him Cody Chuck Carlo (we kept Chuck as his middle name in honor of Save A Dog).  Our Vet gave him a physical and estimated he was 1 1/2 years old.  We added six months and celebrated his birthday every year on August 20th.  

 

Cody has been extremely healthy for the 12+ years he's been with us.  Just needing annual physicals and then biannual physicals when he became a senior at 8 years old.  He developed arthritis in his back legs at age 9 of which pain medicine/anti-inflammatory medicines were prescribed which made him feel much better.  His teeth weren't the greatest so there were a few dentals needed along the way.  Our Vet is Dr. Kathleen Scandura of VCA Northboro and she is amazing!  We have always felt the care she has provided Cody has been second to none.

 

A little over two years ago, Cody was diagnosed with a heart murmur and a leaky mitral valve.  No medication was needed at first and any test that the Vet felt Cody needed to monitor this Mitral Valve Disease, I assure you, Cody got...from blood and urine tests to chest x-rays, and echocardiograms.  His most recent echo was just on May 3rd which showed his MVI had progressed significantly since his last echo a year ago, but his lungs were clear.  He was holding his own and we were optimistic.  A heart medication was prescribed to help with the function of his heart.  Just three short weeks later on May 27th, Cody out of nowhere went into Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).  A day we've dreaded, but knew one day would come (as we were told that MVI will lead to CHF) we just hoped it wouldn't be this soon.   Cody was rushed to the Vet who came in on her day off (I told you she is amazing!).  We were told that "Cody was in bad shape.  He was filled with fluid.  Not even Lasix would help.  He was suffering and decisions needed to be made.  There was nothing more to offer."  Our family has always agreed that we would never let Cody suffer.  We love him way too much to ever let that happen.  With much sadness, I would like to let you know, we made the extremely difficult decision to euthanize Cody on Thursday, May 27, 2021.  The saddest day of our lives.  We are completely heart broken and have yet to stop crying.  

 

I'd like to end this very sad email on a positive note.  I'd like you to know a few things about Cody's life with his forever family.    For starters, he lived in a beautiful, clean home with central air conditioning in Westborough where he had free range on all the furniture as well as slept in bed with my husband and I every night (even though he had his own bed on the floor).  There was someone home with him every day as Fran works from home and my elderly Mom moved in a few years ago.  Cody loved to lay in dirty laundry (I think, because it smelled like us) and he really loved laying in piles of clean laundry when it just came out of the dryer (for obvious reasons he loved to lay on clean, warm towels).  He also loved car rides.  He had many toys to play with, a full stock of treats, we kept him on Holistic Select as well as the RX Biotic, fresh water, and we scheduled our social life around his medicine times and "bathroom breaks".  He loved the summer best and although he didn't like getting wet much, we took him in the pool a few times to cool him off.  He hated the cold weather, but loved to eat snow.  He would go outside after a snow storm and just lick and lick the snow.  Fran always plowed a special path for Cody's bathroom needs after each snow storm.  He had rain jackets, fleece jackets, and winter jackets.  For Halloween, he always dressed up.   He didn't like the dress up part, but the kids in the neighborhood looked forward to seeing Cody in his costume each year on Halloween night.  He rolled with it, like he did everything.  He would greet them at the door with his tail wagging and wagging.  For Christmas, well, I'm pretty sure Santa brought him the most presents and same goes for Easter.  That Easter Bunny always had a huge basket for Cody.  Cody had a big fenced in yard to run around in and boy was he fast!!  When he got a little bit older, we carried him up and down the stairs, on and off the couch and bed (as he needed help with his arthritic legs).   Fran always joked that Cody was a marsupial, because I carried him so much.  If I could have put him in my pocket, I definitely would have!

 

So let me tell you a few things about Cody.  For starters, your bio of him below is spot on!  He was very healthy, very sweet and mellow.  He had an incredible disposition and was so calm.  He would only bark at other dogs and when the doorbell rang.  He was hugged, kissed, snuggled with, and was told he was "perfect" and loved every single day.  He was extremely smart and really was just the best, sweetest boy!  There are so many things we miss about him, but mostly we just miss having him in this home and we can't thank him enough for teaching us what unconditional love is.  We can't thank you enough for all you do and for placing him with us.  Our girls got to grow up with an incredible pet, but Cody wasn't just a pet.  Cody was a HUGE part of this family.  He was a family member and a perfect match for all of us and every day Cody was extremely happy.  His tail wagged all day long!!!

 

We are heart broken, but deep down know we made the right decision.  Our hope is Cody is at Rainbow Bridge and is breathing easy, running on legs with no arthritis, is warm and happy and is waiting for us to cross over together.  

In memory of Cody, we will be making a donation in his name on your "In Memory Of" page.  We will do our best to make a donation each year on May 27th.  Also, we have many items we'd like to donate if you are able to accept them.  Please let me know.  We know Cody would want us to help other dogs at Save A Dog. 

 

There are some pictures of Cody through the years. above.  I hope you enjoy them.  

 

Thank you again for trusting this incredible sweet boy in our care.  We loved him every day, will always love him, and will miss him every single day.  

 

Kind regards,
Dawn Carlo