Senji was with our family for only 12 years but she'll be part of our memories forever. Unfortunately, she got very sick and we had to say goodbye to her on November 1st. There has been an obvious emptiness around our house ever since and it's still a sensitive topic even as I'm typing this 2 months afterwards.
We had only been married for 2 weeks when we were flown to Texas to find a house. We had only lived in our new house in Texas for 2 months when Hurricane Katrina affected the gulf coast. We had only heard 2 pleas from local animal shelters about their overcrowding (since they'd taken in animals evacuated from shelters around on the gulf shore) before I convinced your dad that we needed to help them by adopting a dog. We only took 2 minutes to decide that "Dolores" was the dog for us. They guessed her age to be about 6 months old and claimed she was a Basenji. We found that intriguing as that is a barkless breed of dog thanks to their odd vocal cords. We decided right away to change her name to Senji in homage of her unique breed. It wasn't long before we discovered that while she did have many characteristics of a Basenji (high energy being the main thing), she could bark without a problem so she must have been mixed with another breed. And I don't know if it was her mutt status or that she somehow knew that she'd been rescued, but something about her made her a perfect companion!
She needed way more room to run than our tiny backyard so we took her for walks frequently. She was playful, affectionate, and easy to train. When we found out that a baby would be joining the family, we had no worries and she proved us right. She was the perfect combination of interested and accepting of you, Jax, the minute we walked you in the house. She reacted equally as well when we brought you home, Colt.
Her energy levels tapered off over time but she was always up for a wrestling match or a long walk. She was NOT up for swimming and refused to get near the pool even when we offered to hold her. She about had a heart attack the day she accidentally fell in and needed to be saved by Dad.
She was both protective (would bark at anything that walked by the house) and welcoming (the first to greet anyone who entered). She never hurt a soul although you were both snapped at a few times for playing rough and accidentally including a paw or two in your rough play. I teased her about not being vicious enough but she showed her true colors one day when a sketchy salesperson was at the door. Dad held her by the collar as her hair stood up on her back and she growled differently at the "lady" trying to siphon money from us. We praised Senji afterwards and I stopped teasing her : )
More than anything else, she was a member of our family. She included herself in whatever we were doing. When we worked outside, she wanted out too. When we swam in the pool, she wanted to check on us from a safe distance. When we cooked dinner, she was under our feet hoping something would drop. When we had tickle fights, she barked alongside us. And - my favorite - when we put you two to bed each night, she led us up the stairs and went to each bedroom with us as if she was also wishing you both a good night's sleep.
This picture cracks me up! She was a 50 lb. dog living in a 25 lb. dog's bed - but she loved it!
"Not getting in there. Nope. This is as close as I need to be. Don't even ask. Not going!"
We knew she was old when she starting losing her sight and her hearing but she was still a happy girl so life continued as normal.
In September, she started to skip meals. One morning she woke up and her behavior led us to believe she'd had a seizure. The vet diagnosed her with Vestibular Disease and we fed her by hand. #spoiledgirl
In late October, the end seemed to come suddenly. She struggled to walk and her body started to swell. The vet told us that there was a mass in Senji's body. We purposely didn't tell the two of you about the seriousness of the situation in an effort not to ruin your Halloween. We thought she could make it through the week so we could have one more weekend with her but that was wishful thinking. She showed us on Wednesday, November 1st that she was tired and done fighting. Dad called me so I rushed out of work and picked the two of you up from school early. On the short drive from school I explained that we were going home to spend time with Senji but you didn't truly understand until you saw her. We sat together on the living room floor and loved on her as the tears flowed freely from all of us.
To say she was a great dog wouldn't do her justice.
She was a blessing to all of us and she'll stay in our hearts forever.
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