Perry had a lump in her throat.
Not the kind of lump that comes from deep emotion, but the kind that comes from cancer.
We thought that she had an infection and treated her with antibiotics, but the lump wouldn't go away.
She couldn't eat because she had a lump in her throat.
We watched her get thinner and thinner, and then realized the lump in her throat was getting bigger and bigger.
We made one of the hardest decisions that any pet owner has to make.
We called our only child to let him know, and he said goodbye to his dog over Zoom.
We held Perry in her final moments.
As the poison took over her small body we told the vet about the five small animals that Perry bested: two groundhogs, a rabbit, a squirrel, and a possum.
We also told her about the five skunks that bested Perry.
As Perry was taking her last breaths we recited to her the names of all those who loved her: Ashley and Gee, Courtney and Warren, Alicia, Sullivan, Sam, and others.
We posted our memorial on Facebook, and were touched to see that some of the others who loved her posted theirs as well.
And we were left with lumps in our throats.
