R.I.P. : read at your own risk

I don't really know where to begin. Thursday, May 13 was the first day of David's two week summer break. Naturally, we were sleeping in. I believe it was around 10 o'clock when David got up to walk the boys. That's when the whining and yelping and barking started. It was coming from our next door neighbor's dog, Chloe. Chloe was usually an inside dog, but for some reason her owners had been leaving her outside the past couple of days, and she was not too happy about it. I wondered aloud why they didn't crate her inside. David pointed out that since Chloe was so full of energy, she was probably much happier in the yard than locked in a crate. I agreed, but pointed out that she did not sound too happy. A little while later, David was out in the yard with the boys , and he came back inside saying that Chloe was tied up. He couldn't understand why they would have her tied up in a fenced in yard, but maybe she had tried to dig out before. Who knows? David had to leave to go to the hospital later that day. I went to walk the boys and peeked through the fence to see Chloe. I noticed that her water dish was empty. I came back inside and talked to my friend before she had to leave for work. I told her about the situation with Chloe, and she thought I should contact someone to see what I should do. I told her that when David returned home, I was going to get him to go over the fence and get her some more water. She suggested that we make sure she wasn't tangled up and could reach the shade while he was at it. Once she left for work, I went back outside. I climbed up on our storage bench to get a better look at Chloe and whether or not she could get to the shade. I was not prepared for what I was about to see. There was Chloe, lying on the ground motionless. I called her name and whistled and banged on the fence, but she did not move at all. Immediately, I called David and uttered the words, "I think Chloe is dead". He told me to spray water on her, so I took our water hose and sprayed her with water over the fence, all while crying hysterically, but still nothing. He told me if I wanted to save her, I needed to get over the fence and perform CPR on her. I knew there was no way I could jump over, so I decided to go around and see if maybe it was unlocked. It was, but there was a bungee cord holding it shut. I was able to pull it off and get through, but it was too late. As I looked at her, I could see that she was already stiff and flies were already starting to land on her. I few moments later, David arrived and said that she had probably been gone a while. Even as I type this, I am crying and shaking. Chloe was such a sweet dog. She was so young too. She had just celebrated her 1st birthday. I don't think her owners had her for even a year. It is so tragic that her life was cut short so senselessly. I only wish we had done something sooner. I was going to blog about more of my recent goings on, but I just can't right now. Soon though, and I promise they will be much happier. Sorry to have to share something so terrible, but it is something that has made a lasting impact on me.


Chloe at Charlie's birthday party