…and returned to the goddess to play in the yard and nap in sunbeams. Dickens left us at 11am this morning.
Dickens was my closest friend for 16+ years and I’ll miss him. Just a minute ago I could’ve sworn I heard his voice. I guess I’ll be doing that for a while.
Overall, I’m relieved it’s over and I’m glad he’s no longer trying to drag around that tired old body. I know he resisted to the very end, but he couldn’t continue no matter how stubborn he was.
He is being cremated and I’ll have his cremains sometime next week. We plan to scatter some of his ashes over on Derrydown where he lived most of his life. [On the 6th anniversary of his death, I can report that we never scattered his ashes. Just couldn’t. I still miss him and I miss Bernadette, too, and desperately wish I had closure with Bernie. (She disappeared in July 08.) It’s hard losing pets. The note left by Dani in the comments is so touching that I’m going to post it separately. -Angela, Jan 16 2010]
Right now, I’m just physically tired from not sleeping at all last night and I’m emotionally drained. I feel empty, mostly.
Thanks to everyone for your support in this time of loss. Even when you have months to prepare, it still knocks the wind right out of you.
I’ll respond to your emails after I recover enough to think straight.
I am soo sorry Angela! Although, at least he got to spend his last days with you in “comfort” rather than with the vet. We were both very sad upon reading your post and I wish I coulda been there for you. I know it doesn’t mean much but, I do understand. If you ever need anything, just whistle.
saw this and thought you might like it…
The Good Life
I had been called to examine a ten-year-old blue heeler named Belker.
The
dog’s owners – Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane – were
all
very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer.
I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to
perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be
good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt
Shane could learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family
surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last
time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.
Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy
seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or
confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about
the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why. ”
Startled,
we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me – I’d
never heard a more comforting explanation. He said,
“Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life- like
loving everybody and being nice, right?” The four-year-old continued,
“Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay
as
long.”
Author: Unknown