:( Sad evening

I was at work tonight and got a call from my sister back home in Indiana. Her dog Spice(who was actually EVERYONE's dog) was attacked by something tonight. She couldn't tell what, but by description I put my money on coyote. Spice was far far too injured by the time my sister managed to get her away from the stupid creature that did this to be saved. They placed an emergency call to our wonderful vet who met them at the clinic at 10 p.m EST. He took one look and shook his head no. So they put her down.
She was going to turn 12 this year, a chihuahua, Shi ztu, min poodle mix and quite the character.
I'm angry that I wasn't able to be home, instead I'm 2400 miles away alone while Ryan is underway. Me being there would not likely have changed anything but there are always what-ifs running through your mind.
My sister (and all of us) were very attached to Spice, it was hard getting the news at work and not being able to respond how I wanted to. We saw her when we were home for christmas, she got tons of presents, I have photos of her then that I'll likely be able to look at in a few weeks, I wish she was still going to be around when we got to move home in '09.

Here is a photo taken at christmas, Rayne is on the left and Spice on the right. Rayne is doing okay, pacing the house and looking for Spice, hopefully she'll be able to settle down.

R.I.P Spudder dog. We love you.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...e/IMG_0415.jpg

I am soooo sorry. :tears: Spice was definately a cutie. Lots of hugs and prayers coming your way.

Sorry for your loss! it's always tough losing a family member! keep your head up.

That's so terrible... My grandma has lost a dog or two to coyotes. It's hard enough losing a dog, but by such unexpected and violent means is even worse.

Take comfort in knowing that she loved you guys and will be waiting for you "at the rainbow bridge" as they say. I'm sure she's happy knowing that everyone loved her enough to do what they had to do.

Hugs.

Sorry for your loss.

Awww I'm so sorry to read this. It's always terribly hard to say goodbye to an old furry friend but especially so when it's an unexpected and tragic loss like this. I'm glad at least your family was able to get her to the vet for a peaceful release at the end. Sometimes that's all we can do for our pets is to give them the grace of passing on surrounded by those that love them.

Sorry for your loss, I know how it feels too loose a dog so suddenly.

sorry about your loss! :(

After some daylight investigation, it was coyotes. We had normally kept them a little sparse in the area but the 'thinning' had gotten lax the past few years and now we are kicking ourselves. A local coyote hunt will be forthcoming.

Awww crud Melissa, I'm so sorry. Coyotes are definitely a common predator of small pets around here too. :-( They'll come right into yards.

Sorry about your loss. :( She was adorable!

She was, she was very adorable. VERY opinionated. Had something to say about everything. Rayne (the brindle boxer/pit mix in the photo) is lost. She's carrying around one of Spices christmas 'doggy doughnut' snacks, not eating it, just carrying it. Mom said she hadn't stopped pacing last night, she finally laid down and started napping when I was on the phone with mom.
They looked over Rayne this morning too and found signs that she got herself involved in the fray. A puncture and some scrapes, the vet says she's going to be fine physically. She's up on her shots and all that. We're just going to have to see how she adjusts. She's five years old and Spice has ALWAYS been her leader.
My sister is doing okay. She's the one that chased the dang coyote until it dropped Spice. I told mom to throw away the coat she wore because even though it's clean now the memory is very real with it.
We've lived there for over 30 years and this is the first time we've had something like this happen. Our neighbors have taken to keeping a 'gook' pile (anything gross, deer parts after hunting season and all that) which we think contributed to them being there.

Very tempting to place blame, but it does nothing to ease the loss. Not being home I think makes it worse for me. I feel very guilty even though there is no reason to. Spice had a good christmas, all her people were home (me, mom, dad, bobbi, my husband Ryan and even my brother was there) and she got good stuff and had a lot of fun.

It may be too soon for your family to get a new dog...but it might be a good thing for Rayne. Some of these kids seem to mourn pretty hard.

The whole story is just really really sad. :-(

O no i am so sorry :(

I am sorry to hear about Spice, what a cute little doggie. My thoughts and prayers are with you & your sister.

Thank you all very much.
My sister is doing better today, I am too, able to look at Spice dogs pictures without tearing up. My sister is having her cremated, a personal cremation so she gets only Spices' ashes back in a little box. They are going to save them until I get home in '09 and then we're going to sprinkle them back along the walking trail that she and Rayne used to love to go walking on with dad.
I was just able to get word to Ryan this evening and he was upset as well. For such a little dog Spice made an impact on everyone she met in some way. She'll be missed and well remembered and in time I know we'll be able to share all the good stories about her.

Jess, my sister is VERY against another dog right now, it took her years to get Spice after her first dog China passed away. Rayne ate some today and mom said she's calming down a bit. She's still looking for Spice when they take her out for potty time and she's still obviously depressed but better then yesterday when they took Spice and just didn't bring her back. If nothing changes in a week I know mom and dad will pursue other options.