Jennifer dedicates her service to her beloved black labrador retriever, Tiller. 

This is her story:

Tiller was a gentle spirit with a huge personality.  She was given a home of love and dedication from my family in 1993.  She loved to swim, chase deer, act silly, open Christmas gifts, go for car rides and stop for a hamburger and iced water, and play with her brother Bailey.  She always gave us a funny story to tell.  She suddenly developed lameness in her rear legs at the age of 11, which was diagnosed by a neurologist as degenerative myelopathy.  This was an inoperable condition.  While my family was devastated by the news, we searched for a way to continue to give Tiller the best quality of life.  I met Joyce Darrell, a miracle worker for dogs in Maryland, who provided Tiller with a wheelchair.  Yes, a wheelchair for a dog!  This amazing device had two wheels and allowed Tiller to walk comfortably, supporting her rear legs, and giving her confidence once again.  Tiller took to the wheelchair immediately, zipping around the yard like she was a new dog.  The night that I brought Tiller and the wheelchair home, she performed her new act for the rest of the family.  Tiller graciously kissed me on the face. 

Over time, Tiller's disease progressed.  She developed laryngeal paralysis (paralysis of the larynx) and went through a successful surgery to help her breathe easier.  She also began to develop antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infections that perplexed her doctors, but eventually they found a treatment that worked.  Tiller remained a fighter and wouldn't let anything keep her down.  Even on days that she didn't have an appetite, she still ate the food we prepared for her, just to please us.  It's amazing how much personality a dog has and how many human qualities they have.  It was very evident how human Tiller was, especially when she needed us the most.  We had to assist Tiller to eliminate and carried her outside to do so, even when we didn't have any strength left.  Many days it was hard.  The decision to humanely euthanize her was hard.  One look in her eyes reaffirmed that she wasn't ready to die.  She had too much living to do.  She wasn't ready to go yet.  She seemed happy despite the disease.  She had her good days and her bad days.  She loved to go outside and look for the deer on the property that she once loved to chase until she worried us to death when we thought she wouldn't come back home in her younger days.  We did everything to increase her quality of life.  We made her homemade chicken and rice every day, tucked her into bed, and even stayed home from work to care for her when she was having a bad day. We didn't want to lose her.  We couldn't bear the thought. 

On June 11, 2007, Tiller just finished eating a homemade dinner of roasted chicken, rice, and a hot dog. It was some of her favorite things to eat.  I left her for a moment to clean the dishes and was alerted by my mother that something was wrong.  I returned to the living room to find Tiller panting heavily and her pupils were dilated.  We picked her up and put her in the car.  She had to go to the emergency room.  I sat in the back seat with her, holding and kissing her and trying to figure out what was wrong.  It hit me.  She was dying.  The one moment I never wanted to face was here.  I looked into her eyes and she looked so scared and confused.  I cried over her and told her it was okay to go.  I told her I loved her over and over again.  I didn't want her to go but I didn't want her to suffer anymore.  She didn't deserve that.  The moment we pulled into the parking lot at the veterinary clinic, Tiller took her final breath and passed away in my arms. 

I didn't tell you this story to make you cry.  I know many of you can relate to having a pet as part of your family that you love so much, and how truly lucky we are to have pets to love.  Tiller was the epitome of a wonderful pet.  She was truly a gift to our family and I will never forget her. 

Pets give us unconditional love and teach us so much about ourselves and life.  We should do our best to give that back to them.   

Rest peacefully my sweet girl. 

Tiller  1992-2007