[nagdu] Rest in peace, Echo, April 17, 1995 - May 4, 2012

[Jenny Keller]

Dearest Tracy,

Please forgive me, I referred to Echo as a male, it's habit since my guide that I just had to give away was a male and I still feel his loss.

Please forgive me.  I didn't mean to seem insensitive.

Jenny
On May 5, 2012, at 11:25 AM, marilyn wrote:

> Hi Tracy,
> I am sorry to hear about Echo. She is at peace. I know you will miss her but you had many good years together and I am sure wonderful memories.
> I like reading about her stealing tomato's. Did she eat them or just take them. My friend in South Africa's guide dog likes to hold lemons in her mouth. Doesn't bite down on them.
> Sending you good thoughts.
> Marilyn and Anna
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2012 11:05 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] Rest in peace, Echo, April 17, 1995 - May 4, 2012
> 
> 
>> Rest in peace, Echo, April 17, 1995 - May 4, 2012
>> 
>> We had to put Echo to sleep yesterday.  Her arthritis had gotten very bad,
>> and she seemed to
>> 
>> be uncomfortable more and more, so we called the vet to come.  We found a
>> vet who makes
>> 
>> house calls, and they've been taking care of Echo for the last year or so.
>> It was good that
>> 
>> Echo could lie in one of her favorite places, at home, and die in peace.
>> We are very sad.  I thought I was ready, but I wasn't.  I keep listening
>> for her, and
>> 
>> walking around the places she used to lie.
>> My husband did a lot to take care of her, and it leaves a big empty space
>> in his life, too.
>> 
>> He was wonderful with her, very patient with all the old dog problems and
>> quirks.
>> 
>> While I was looking through my file to write down her death date, I found
>> an entry I'd made
>> 
>> after the first NFB convention I attended with Echo, in New Orleans.  It
>> was just a few
>> 
>> months after we'd met, and I wasn't sure she'd be able to cope with it,
>> but she did great!
>> 
>> Echo's specialty was remembering places we'd been before.  She was great
>> at finding the
>> 
>> right elevator bank.  Once, I'd had breakfast at a table off a big
>> corridor.  Later that
>> 
>> day, I got turned around somehow after a meeting and was looking for the
>> elevator, but not
>> 
>> giving Echo good directions, so she started showing me places we'd been,
>> trying to hit on
>> 
>> the right one.  She showed me the table where I'd had breakfast, and I
>> recognized where we
>> 
>> were and gave her the right directions at last.
>> She was a soft dog who needed a bit of cheerleading, but, so long as she
>> knew I had
>> 
>> confidence in her and appreciated her, she could do anything.
>> I remember, at that same convention in New Orleans, we took a carriage
>> ride.  We thought my
>> 
>> husband would have to lift Echo up into the carriage, but she climbed the
>> ladder like it was
>> 
>> the most natural thing in the world.
>> When we first got back from training, we had some problems, but GDB sent
>> someone out, and,
>> 
>> in about 45 minutes, he figured out the tiny thing I was doing wrong,
>> straightened me out,
>> 
>> and we were good from then on.  We did a lot of travelling together; Echo
>> had a lot of miles
>> 
>> under her paws.  She worked until she was eleven and a half, then she had
>> a long, happy
>> 
>> retirement.
>> Like my husband says, we will be lucky if we have as good a life as she
>> did. And to have
>> 
>> people to love and care for us up to the end.  She always did her best for
>> us, and we did
>> 
>> our best for her. Sadly, the last thing we could do for her was give her a
>> peaceful ending.
>> 
>> Now she's in the happy hunting ground, chasing rabbits and squirrels like
>> she used to, and
>> 
>> stealing tomatoes. My parents are there, so they can give her a belly rub.
>> And she can wag
>> 
>> her tail again.  When her back end got bad, she couldn't really wag like
>> she used to.
>> Good-bye, old gal. We miss you.
>> Tracy
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
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