It is with a broken heart that I write this blog.

On December 28, 2018, we said goodbye to our beautiful sweet little Emma. She collapsed shortly after 12 noon. She had shown no signs of being ill. We rushed her to emergency and it was determined she'd had a stroke. Emma was paralyzed on the right side. They did an MRI, and discovered she had a very large tumor on her brain which is what caused the stroke. The neurologist told us that unfortunately, the first sign of this type of cancer is that they either have a stroke, or a seizure. They could perform surgery, but the neurologist did not believe he would be able to get all of it, which meant it would grow back. There was also a chance it had spread to other parts of her body. As the cancer would grow back and there was no guarantee that she'd regain the use of her right side we decided to let her go. 

​Emma had been my Pet First Aid demo dog since I started teaching 7 years ago (she was 2 at the time). We have taught 100's of classes and it was her favorite thing to do. As soon as she saw me pull out the supplies to load into my car, she'd go running to the front door. Those of you who took the course with us saw what a ham she was in class and she was happy to let anyone practice on her. She was also wonderful about being dressed up in silly costumes to advertise the classes. Please visit our Facebook page if you'd like to see them. She was an incredible member of our family and loved life to the fullest. 

​For the time being, Molly her half-sister, will be my demo dog in classes. Molly is 11 years old, but still has a lot of energy and loves people. She has some very big paws to fill, but I know she'll do Emma proud.
 
I never thought I would lose Emma so soon. If there is a message here it would be to cherish every moment with your pet, because you never know when it will be the last. Emma woke up perfectly normal that  morning, and by 7:30 that night, we helped her cross the rainbow bridge. Run fast, run free my baby girl. I know your spirit will always be with me. I love you to bits and you are and will forever be in our hearts.

​Animations Sweet Emmaline (Emma) August 30, 2008 - December 28, 2017