Erica Cleary, a beautiful yellow Labrador Retriever who resided in Gloucester City, NJ, most of her life, died Thursday night, May 14, 2015, from complications of old age. She was 13. In human years, she would be 91.
Erica began her life as a Seeing Eye puppy in Moorstown, NJ. She was in training when she broke her toe at the doggy playground. She spent 14 months with her toe in a cast. When the time came for her to take the final test, she was unable to pass it and was placed up for adoption at the age of two.
Connie and I had tried for over two years to adopt a retired Seeing Eye dog. Tired of waiting, we had gotten a black lab named Lacey during that time. The day we got the call that Erica was available we were so excited. During the 90-minute ride to Morristown, we were very anxious, not knowing what to expect. When we arrived in the town we were surprised to see how many people were walking the streets with seeing eye dogs. We learned later that those dogs were in training. The Academy, located in a wooded area, consists of a number of single-story buildings. It is nestled away a mile or so from the Mooristown.
When we met Erica, she was a bundle of energy. She came into the room, wiggling her entire body, wearing a cute little scarf around her neck. She should have been named “Wiggles”. We were told she got the name Erica because she was born in the month they were using the letter E to name the newborns. They gave us some time to get acquainted, but without saying a word, both Connie and I knew she was coming home with us.
When we asked about her training, one of the volunteers told us that if we had to purchase Erica, it would cost us $50,000. She told us that Erica knew all the basic terms, such as rest, park, heel, and turn. As far as any other commands, we would have no use for them.
We were so happy to have her, and she and Lacey got along perfectly. Once home, it didn’t take long for us to realize how much work two dogs were. Plus, the extra cost for food and veterinary care mounted up. But both dogs brought so much joy to our lives, it didn’t matter.
We first noticed Erica was having problems walking in November 2014. After an exam and x-rays, Dr. Edward Sheehan, our veterinarian, diagnosed canine degenerative myelopathy, also known as chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy. It is an incurable, progressive disease of the canine spinal cord that is similar in many ways to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We were told that she would eventually lose the use of her hind legs. And there was no cure. We realized at that moment our “little girls” time on this earth was nearing an end. As the disease progressed, we could see she was having more difficulty walking. Yet she still wanted to take our morning walk. We shortened the walk, and she was content.
In April, Erica started to pant heavily for no apparent reason. Two weeks ago, we took her to the emergency animal clinic in Cherry Hill because the panting had gotten worse. After blood and urine tests, plus a chest x-ray, she was diagnosed with a paralyzed larynx. The doctor suggested we see the clinic’s surgeon for consultation. We declined, not wanting to proceed until we spoke with Dr. Sheehan.
When your pet has a medical problem, you sometimes forget the stress some treatments can cause the animal. Also, your emotions come into play, and you never consider the cost involved. Besides the breathing problem, Erica was having an issue with getting up and down our back steps to go outside to relieve herself. She had several “potty” accidents inside the home, which upset her. Some days she wasn’t eating. We spoke with Dr. Sheehan, and he said that, in his opinion, Erica was not a candidate for surgery. After considering everything, we decided it was time to let Erica move on to her next life in heaven. Thursday night, we had her euthanized.
Making that decision is one of the hardest things Connie and I have ever done. We did the same for Lacey two years ago, and also made the same choice 10 years ago for Nikki, our 15-year-old lab.
This is the first time in many years that we have awakened in the morning without a dog in our house. It is an empty feeling. Erica would also lay next to me or under my desk when I was working. I would have to be careful not to kick her or run over her tail with my chair. A couple of times, while writing this article, I found myself looking for her under the desk. A big piece of our heart is missing with Erica gone. We believe all dogs go to heaven, and we can see her running again with Lacey now. They are both young and strong, chasing rabbits in the field or running after the geese. Some day our journey on this earth will also come to an end. And we look forward to that day when we will meet our dogs waiting for us at the mystical Rainbow Bridge. We will shed tears but this time they will be tears of happiness as we walk with Erica, Lacey, Nikki, Misty, Bear, Sheba and Trooper once again.