Have you tried using a sling?? You can make one pretty easy. Go to Home Depot and get a couple of pieces of dowel (round wooden rod) about 3/4" thick. Usually they'll make at least 2 cuts for free on something. You want them each to be about 2' long (actually you want it just a bit shorter than the space between Cherokee's front leg and back leg so you can pass it under her)
Take a decently strong towel -- doesn't have to be new, but you want it strong enough to hold her. OR you can use new store-bought muslin. That might even be easier.
If you use the towel either machine stitch or use a cool melt glue gun to fold the end of the towel over one of the dowels and hot glue it (literally make a 'hem' and shove the dowel thru it).
OR if you use the muslin just fold it to the right width and have it long enough to be double the length of that bath towel. But rather than having to hem each end, just fold it so the ends overlap in the middle and run a thick line of cool melt glue up one end and mush the other end on top of it.
This way you can either take the towel off the dowels or the muslin off the dowels and WASH it if you gotta.
You thread the dowels thru the big "O" you've made and stretch them out and then put one end under Cherokee and you can hang onto the dowels over the top of her back to give her enough support to walk outside mostly under her own power.
I'm just trying to help you with a tool that may give you a bit more time if you think it's the right thing to do and that way you won't have to man-handle her.
Now ... when it comes time to have to help her over the Bridge ... you are going to want the vet to do a shot of valium ANYWAY. Usually they give them enough valium to help her just go to sleep. That way they don't get startled by the pink stuff (that feeling can make some dogs panic).
Seriously -- you may want to take a bit of valerian root *yourself*. You do ***NOT*** want to just fall apart on Cherokee. That can panic the dog and when a dog, like Cherokee, is as bonded to a human as you two are, it can upset them **so** much because YOU are upset that it makes it far far worse than it should be.
This should be a peaceful passage. There are times when we humans need a little bit of help as well. Getting some valium in the dog (it's stronger than just the herb valerian root -- same essential chemical composition b/c valium mimics valerian) will help HER relax and be ok with this and not be afraid.
This is the hard part Chelsea. Let us help you any way we can. *hugs* Callie
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
Helen Keller
