Time to Say Goodbye – Andrea Bocelli
My husband loves dogs – like, on an entirely ‘nother level. The day we met, I took a long drive to pick him up. He came attached to what looked more than anything like a dishmop on a leash. The dishmop/furbaby was a matted mess. The spousal unit was another kind of mess. We all needed each other in ways we couldn’t articulate or understand at the time.
G always wanted a dog as a kid. Ironically, he had a pony, but never a dog. Other factors came into play, too. I truly think having his doggo was life-and-death for G at that point in his existence.
Once we joined forces, we had the dishmop groomed until groomers turned him away, worrying he was too fragile. Then I groomed him. I didn’t want the job, but you don’t abandon a family member because something is unpleasant. We had to say goodbye to furball Toby in the spring of 2008. Toby was G’s first dog, ever.
We got another dog for G’s birthday that summer, a three-year-old rescue-critter, a beagle-chihuahua mix, well-behaved and housebroken from the word go. To the best of my memory, we never had to clean up an accident with this good boy. I rarely post his name – Reno – because it’s also become G’s nickname online and in real life.
Over the past thirteen years, the only time furbaby has been separated from G for more than a few hours is when G had heart surgery. Furbaby treats me like the Alpha Bitch, but G is his constant companion, and vice versa.
Except now Furbaby is sixteen-going-on-seventeen, time is making its inevitable demands. He had a hard time on the trip to Iowa. We knew leaving him behind would have been worse, and he most definitely liked the Midwestern grasses, which are soft as carpet. (Grass here is part cactus. It will cut you.) The past month, however, we’ve seen a big downturn. Treats go uneaten. Eating overall is hit-or-miss. He can no longer get on the furniture – jumping is out of the question. He doesn’t want to go for walks. (We have a doggy door and a fenced yard for him to take care of business. So far that’s still in use.) The past couple of days, however, he’s become progressively more unsteady on his paws. At times it takes him several attempts to get his legs under him when he’s trying to get up from lying down.
It’s a matter of very little time until we pet him for the last time. I suspect the final goodbye will be within the next couple of weeks or so.
I think the decision to let a pet go to Pet Heaven is always so hard on the owners. I have had a few dogs and several cats to release from Earth. It is always such a sad time. I guess your husband will be looking for another dog before long. Rescue animals are the best. They love unconditionally, don’t they?
It’s miserably hard to say goodbye to anyone you love, including furbabies. It’s even harder when you have to CHOOSE that option.
We’ll definitely be looking for another pupper down the line, but I’m hoping to postpone until Christmas of next year or a couple of months after. We’d like to make another trip back to the Midwest in October next year, and it would be vastly simpler without a dog in the car.
I’m thinking a little while after Christmas because people tend to turn in unwanted pets a couple of months or so after the holidays. And yes, we’ll 100% be looking for a rescue animal.
Aww that’s so sad. Losing a pet is never easy, but when life becomes unbearable you have to do the right thing. So 😔
Agreed. Your furbabies are dependent on you. It’s our right and our responsibility to do the right thing for them.