Oct. 5,6,7 – For the love of a dog

Most of us have had a pet, loved the pet and then mourned the pet when they passed away. It is an inevitable cycle of joy, love and sadness. I got a call from my daughter Suzi to inform me that our old dog Tinkerbell was not doing well and was probably at the end of her life. She was 16 1/2 years old and her health had been precarious over the past year or so. Suzi works as a veterinary technician and has been Tinkerbell’s primary caretaker, so she knows what she it talking about. I needed to get home to Albuquerque ASAP. I was about 90 miles outside of Pueblo, CO, which was the closest place where I could rent a car – so I got on the bike and pushed hard and made it there by the days end. Luckily and amazingly, Pueblo is also the closest I would be to Albuquerque during my entire bike journey – a 4 – 5 hour drive. I was at the car rental agency when they opened on Friday, and by 1pm I was home. My daughter Elli had already arrived from Las Cruces, NM, where she goes to college. She and Suzi were with Tinky, who was conscious but pretty much non-responsive. The veterinarian that Suzi works with, Dr. Spohn, would be there a few hours later. A very sad and emotional day for all of us. It is amazing how intense our feelings can be for a dog and how much their passing can affect us. We all loved Tinkerbell and she was great companion and a part of our family. We are going to miss her.

I was able to spend some much needed quality time with Suzi and Elli, and then today I traveled back to Pueblo. Tomorrow I will get on the bike and head out onto the plains of Eastern Colorado. The bicycle tour and the adventure continue.