My Legacy Dogs

This personal story is about the love between a Mom and daughter who love their dogs.

In The Beginning

Let me share with you a very emotional story of how Tiger and Lady came to be my dogs. Tiger and Lady were my Mother’s Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. We had always owned Cavalier King Charles Spaniels when I grew up. Through the years, Mom and I had owned 6 Cavaliers between us!

When I would get a Cavalier, Mom would be quickly on the heels of getting one, too, so they could play together. As my mom approached her 80s, she would tell me, when I die, you are getting my Cavaliers. Looking back at it now, I remember thinking, well, that’s a long time. I would tell Mom, “Don’t talk that way to Mom. I don’t want to think about that.” But I promised her that no matter what, her dogs would always be cared for.

When Mom went to purchase Little Tiger, she was purchased online. Many breeders did not want to give a dog to an older woman. Tiger flew in from South Carolina 10 years ago. When Tiger first arrived, we knew right away that she had a lot of heavy breathing going on. Since we were experienced dog owners, we knew something was wrong. We took Tiger to the nearest emergency hospital to find out that she had a severe infection of bronchitis. Tiger had to be on oxygen for ten days in the ICU of the Vet Hospital.

We were not sure that Tiger would make it. She was on the smaller side for a Cavalier and fragile-looking. Luckily, with early intervention and care, Tiger healed. Tiger, who is a girl, lived up to her name. She is a fighter who also is the most brilliant, sweetest little Cavalier. Tiger would follow my mom everywhere and used to sleep near my mom’s shoulder. The perfect lap dog, which is what Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are known for.

Several years later, my mother purchased Lady. Let me tell you about Lady; she is just the sweetest, most mushy dog ever. Lady loves kisses, pets, and to play ball. Tiger immediately welcomes Lady in the family, and they are inseparable.

One thing that Tiger and Lady loved to do with my mom was to sleep in her bed. Since Mom’s health was not good, she didn’t leave the house. So Tiger and Lady learned a tranquil routine with Mom. When Tiger and Lady played with each other, I would hear my mom’s laughter echoing throughout the house.

As my mother became hospitalized from time to time, Lady and Tiger would stay with us during that hospitalization. My husband and I saw we needed to make extra plans for the future.

We would discuss what it would look like to live with four dogs. We worried about Duke, our Labradoodle, who had a lot of issues. He was intense and didn’t understand that he was big. Tiger only weighs 16 pounds, and Lady is 22 pounds. Duke is 38 pounds! We needed to ensure Duke didn’t crush Tiger when he was with her. Sadie, the oldest Cavalier, would go all alpha on Tiger. Tiger, the oldest in her household, would respond to Sadie with the same alpha attitude. It took time for them to work things out.

Deep down, my mother knew that with her age and her health declining, she was starting not to do things with the dogs as much. I offered to take Lady and Tiger for an hour to let them play with Sadie and Duke, as my mother’s illnesses were getting worse.

The problem was Mom struggled to have Tiger and Lady away from her; Tiger and Lady gave her a tremendous amount of joy and companionship that, as my mom would say, helped her get out of bed every day and get moving. So, I stopped having the play dates. Tiger and Lady needed to be with Mom as much as possible.

Summer of 2020

My Mom suffered a stroke. With quick intervention, my mother survived the stroke. But each day, the hospital informed me of the new limitations that my Mom was going to have because of the stroke.

We had to come up with a significant plan that did not just involve dealing with a stroke. It was becoming clear that Tiger and Lady could no longer live with her full-time.

At first, I had thought maybe the home aids could help take care of the dogs. I quickly understood that the home aids were there to care for just Mom. They could not clean up wee pads, feed the dogs, or play with them.

We would have to devise an alternative lifestyle with Mom; how would we tell my mother that things would change?

My husband and I created a plan that, sadly, I had to convince Mom this would have to work. Tiger and Lady would sleep in our home. Every day, we would bring the dogs to visit her for the day.

We maintained this routine daily. On weekends, when Mom didn’t have the aid, my husband and I stayed at the house to ensure Lady and Tiger had their time with Mom.

Mom initially opposed the idea because she was used to sleeping with Tiger and Lady in bed. Well, this would not be workable. The stroke had left my mother fully able to get in and out of bed by herself; I could not have the home aids tripping over the dogs in the middle of the night. A lot of her health issues magnified their worst symptoms in the middle of the night. What were we going to do with this dilemma?

My sister, Christine, came up with a fantastic plan after doing a tremendous amount of research; she came up with stuffed animals!

Cuddle Clones

Let me tell you, this is not just a stuffed animal dog. These cuddle clones are exact replicas of your dog. You send in photos taken from different angles as requested. You answer several questions in your order form. Then, after a few weeks, they will send you a custom plush clone of your dog.

Mom had to accept this because she saw she had to do what was best for Tiger and Lady; she realized things were not improving in her health. Every day, I went to my mom’s giving my mother her medication and tucked her into bed. Tiger and Lady would join me for the bedtime routine. The home aid would provide us with our privacy so Mom could get her cuddles in with Tiger and Lady before bedtime. We did that routine for five months.

When we finally got the plush clone stuffed animals, they helped my mother sleep better at night. She felt like she had Lady and Tiger in the bed with her, and she even kept the other cute stuffed animal in the bed with her.

As the months went by, Mom’s health was not improving. It was around Christmas time. Mom made me make many promises to her. First, I care for Tiger and Lady like my own. Second, promise her she will pass away at home with her dogs. I told her that as her daughter and caregiver, I promised.

I made a vow that when the time came, and she needed Tiger and Lady close, they would be there with her. I promised she wouldn’t be alone. My third promise was to shield Tiger and Lady from distressing sights when the time came.

Saying Goodbye

In early 2021, Mom had a massive stroke, with Lady and Tiger beside her. As my mother had her stroke, Tiger, Lady and I sat beside her and held her hand. We told her she was not alone, as I promised to her.

As Mom slowly came out of the stroke, I made sure she saw Tiger and Lady. The hardest part was the blank stare that she gave us. When the hospice nurses arrived, they said we had days left with Mom.

It was time to prepare the family, and as I looked down at Tiger and Lady, I had to prepare them, too. Mom did not speak the next day, but she held the Tiger and Lady cuddle clone dolls.

It was time to complete the third promise, Mom. It was to take Tiger and Lady away and not have them see any more of what was happening to Mom.

Now to say a last goodbye. That was another painful, heartbreaking experience for all. Still, I knew in my heart Mom knew she was saying goodbye to Tiger and Lady.

Three days later, Mom passed peacefully away with her clones of Tiger and Lady near her. It was the least I could do, and my hope and prayer was that she believed they were right beside her.

As I went home to see all four dogs, I looked at Tiger and Lady and said, “We lost Mom.” because that was the truth. She was their Mom; I was just a big sister to them. We had to come together and start a new family.

After the days that followed, I brought home the clones of the girls, and now they are on the crates of Lady and Tiger. Plus, I have used my Mom’s favorite Cardinal fleece blankets that she always had on her bed as crate covers for them. I wanted to ensure that Tiger and Lady had something of Mom’s so they could remember and feel her presence.

3 Years Later

Tiger and Lady are thriving with us. We had a few rough moments of learning to live as a pack family, but each dog has learned their place. Our little pack of dogs! When I look up in the sky as I have all four dogs running around the yard, I say out aloud,

“See, Mom, I kept my promises; Tiger and Lady are good; they’re happy. Don’t worry, because they are my legacy dogs from you.”

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If you are interested in learning more about Cuddle Clones, here is the link: Cuddle Clones.

Thank you for reading

My sister, Christine is mentioned in this story. She too is a writer for Vocal.Media as Xine Segalas.

This was originally posted on Medium.