Rising Star DiPauls Gigi
"Gigi"

February 20, 2004 to February 27, 2010

Life changes with the blink of an eye, no warning, no signs, just a blink.  Sleep peacefully our beautiful girl Gigi, taken from us way too early – only one week past your sixth birthday.  Not only were you Paul’s girl version of Cody – his two heart dogs, you were everybody’s buddy, you were loving, carefree, the sweetest temperament one could ask for, you were our very special girl with a very special place in our hearts, now where only a hole will remain.  You almost made it to your show championship with only three singles needed, your majors already earned.  We cannot imagine life here without you in it ~ run and play now with your father in the green and sunny fields at the Bridge. 

Paul would cuddle each one of the 9 puppies from the first moment of being able to hold them after they were born.  He would place the puppies up to his larynx talking to them and then put them on his chest holding them so they could feel his voice and heartbeat to begin the human bonding process.  All of the other eight would fidget for a minute or so and then usually settle down, but not Gigi.  She would immediately curl up on Paul’s chest with what seemed to be great contentment.  There never was a question as to which puppy would be first pick and live in our home forever.

Gigi in every moment of her 6 years with us, here at home with the other borzoi with the Irish setters, with the German shorthaired pointers or at a show, in the van, or anywhere we never heard a growl or a nasty word from her.  Her father Cody and she seemed to derive whatever their placements in the pack were without cowering, but also completely without growling.  Perhaps that quality alone was responsible for their always happy dispositions.  If only we humans could stop growling, how many more nice days could we all add to our lives.

At 3:30 Saturday afternoon Gigi came inside from her afternoon outing, laid down in her bed and died.  There were absolutely no warning signs, she was fine and acting normal prior to this.  She was outside with some of the other dogs all getting along and happy.  Paul did say that as she came inside and went through the house to her bed, she seemed to be acting a little differently and not being her usual playful self but she did quietly lie down into her usual position.  We checked on her about 10 minutes later and she was gone.

We are devastated.  Gigi was extra special to us; there will never be another like her.

In disbelief – with the blink of an eye,
Paul and Diane

A necropsy performed by Dr Robert V Hutchison has determined with almost certainty that what took Gigi from us was mesenteric volvulus, torsion of her intestines.

Bloat, gastric bloat, torsion or gastric dilatation-volvulus (CDV)
- reprinted from Shorthair Journal April 2010