She woke me up at 3 am crying. it's got to be the most horrid feeling, knowing the end is near, and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop it.

I really have no room for complaints. she was 14 years old. 13 of those years in my home. The vet told us the average life expectancy for a Shar Pei is only 8 to 10 years, so it was really a blessing she lived that long. and that doesn't begin to describe what she was to us. if you have ever adopted a pet, I don't need to explain. if you never have, you will never understand.

Wrinkles was my cousins dog. however, she attached herself to me. she would escape and run over to my house. she would never behave for her "owners", and eventually they gave in and gave her to me.

To be honest, i didn't really want a dog. However, being a single parent with 2 young daughters, I decided that i could use an extra set of eyes and ears. she became "Ashton's dog", and I figured if any issues arose, as long as she could buy me a few seconds reaction time, she would be worth the hassle. She became so much more than that. She was a nanny.. a friend.. a babysitter, and a defender. If you weren't known, you would never get within 20 feet of my daughters. We took a trip to see my brother in Las Vegas. When we pulled up, he jumped the fence and ran up to the car and grabbed my door. Wrinkles just about took his arm off. Funny thing is, rick was to become her favorite person outside my immediate family. This dog could even tell me who was knocking at my door. She would be at the door before they were close enough to ring the bell. She had a different reaction for everyone she knew, and a set reaction for those she didn't. It was a very comforting feeling knowing that she would let me know who was at my house before they were close enough for any person to know. As a general rule, she would be friendly to most people, but there were some she just didn't like. I had her at my mothers house one time, and she happened to be babysitting my cousins granddaughter. When the girls father came to pick her up, Wrinkles wouldn't let him in the yard. She loved to travel, and travelled well. Well, except for one trip. we were headed to California, and stopped at Walker Reservoir in central Nevada. She decided to eat some sand, and ended up puking all the way to Sacramento.. ugh.. what a mess.. But, if you were to say the word "ride", or better yet "fishing" she would get so excited she would start dancing, and practically pee herself.

The last year or so, she had slowed down so much she almost had a different personality. Most times, she would no longer greet me at the door, and may not even realize I was home until I walked into the bedroom. But she was always a good dog. I don't think i have ever had a pet as well behaved as she was, or as loyal.

She got to where she wouldn't eat this last week. So i finally took her to the vet Saturday. they did an exam, took x-rays and blood work. They were unable to process the blood work at that time, and informed me it would be sent out and they would call with the results Monday morning. We went over the x-rays, and the Vet showed me she had 2 spots on one of her kidneys. It was unknown what they were, most likely stones and possibly tumors, but the blood work should give a better idea. However, her heart was almost twice the size it should have been. He gave a prescription and a couple of cans of food to keep her comfortable and sent us home pending the results of the blood work, and said he would call Monday and inform me of what treatment he would recommend.

It was when we went back out to the waiting room that she started having trouble standing. We took her home and managed to have her get some food down. A little before bedtime, I took her outside for a few minutes, and came back in. She walked over by the front door and laid down. It was the last time she was able to stand. A bit later, I carried her to her bed and laid her down, and after a few minutes, she fell asleep. I went to bed at around 11pm, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

She woke me up at 3 am crying. I came out and sat with her until around 6, when I woke Tristan up and told her it was almost time. She didn't say anything, but I don't see how she could have missed my tears. We tried a couple of times to get wrinkles to her feet, but it just wasn't happening. At the time I am writing this, I have been almost 48 hours with 4 hours sleep, and the times are already getting fuzzy. I called my brother, as we had already made arrangements to bury her at his place when the time came, and once again, he didn't say anything, but I'm sure he couldn't have missed my voice breaking. I called Ashton, and it was obvious we both cried. Tristan and I spent the day sitting with Wrinkles, making sure she was comfortable, and giving her pain meds at regular intervals. Tristan went to lie down for a bit, and this is when she had her first seizure. I thought for sure it was the end. However, she came out of it and relaxed, and was back to lying comfortably in her bed. This happened twice more during the day. The only word i can think of right now is heart wrenching. I am consoled with the fact that when she passed, it was a quiet passing, and I am pretty sure she was comfortable. I never intended to get attached to this dog, as the main purpose in keeping her was to buy time in the event that my children were ever threatened. But get attached I did, and more so than any pet I have ever had.

Wrinkles passed at 1:40 this morning. Tristan was watching her as I needed to lie down and get some rest. At this point I had less than 4 hours sleep in 2 days. I was lying behind her, and Tristan had asked if it would be OK to give her more meds, as it was looking as if they were wearing off already. I got up and fixed them for her, and laid back down. Tristan immediately informed me she had stopped breathing. We both sat with her for the next half hour, hugging each other and crying.

RIP Wrinkles. I miss you already, more than i would ever have believed. We love you, and you will always be remembered.