I so wish I was referring to the awesome Florence and the Machine song, but unfortunately, I'm not.
My husband and I got our little puppy, Charlie, back in 1999. He was pre-children and I actually recall myself saying one night to my husband "I don't know how we could ever love a child as much as we love this dog!". While I certainly loved Charlie ALOT, as each of our three children came into our lives, poor little Charlie kept taking the backseat.
Our kids loved Charlie too, but Charlie wasn't always so fond of them.
About two years ago, Charlie went to stay with my in-laws. Our new house didn't have a fence,
he kept running off and his behavior was getting a little aggressive for him to be around our children.
My in-laws were so kind to care for Charlie and my father-in-law
actually developed a very close relationship with Charlie.
We felt good about him being in a loving environment and we visited him often.
About two months ago, Charlie began to limp. First it was his right paw and then it was his left.
After several trips to the vet, x-rays and a plethora of medicine, Charlie's health was declining rapidly.
Last Thursday, we made the painful decision to put Charlie down.
I'm sure many of you can relate to this and what a difficult decision it is to make.
My lovely friend, Ingrid, is a vet and she came to our house so that we could experience this
in the comfort our of our home, surrounded by our children.
I know not everyone would invite their children to be a part of such a sad event,
but our kids grew up with Charlie and it just felt right having them present.
It was such an emotional experience for all of us,
but I am so thankful we were able to experience it all together in our home.
This is the last picture we have of all us together.
My children were so brave and I couldn't have been more proud of them.
My friend Ingrid was very sweet and I will be eternally grateful for her act of kindness.
My Charlie is now in Dog Heaven and loving every minute of it.
So sorry to hear this Andrea - it's never easy, no matter what the circumstance. Brave of all of you to be there with him too. We had to put our golden down years ago (pre-kids), and my husband stayed with her - I couldn't take it. He was a wreck, and I still feel guilty that I wasn't there with her in the end. It's never easy!
ReplyDeleteI'm so very sorry. It's so hard to lose a pet. thinking of you : )
ReplyDeleteOh Andrea, I'm so sorry. Just last week the same thing happened for me. My cat, that I had before kids and before husband, had to be put down. My parents had adopted her from me when my husband and I got married (he was horribly allergic to her). I didn't get to say goodbye before they put her to sleep and I just feel horrible. I think it's great you guys were able to all be there for Charlie :)
ReplyDeleteyou have a lovely family! sorry about the doggie :(
ReplyDeleteAwww so sorry to hear of this, Andrea. How great that Charlie was surrounded by all of you at the end.
ReplyDeleteOmg. I'm having to hold back tears. Charlie looks a lot like our 1 year old yorkie, Molly. My family and I love her so much. I dread the day something happens to her. We had to put our 4 year old toy poodle down about 4 years ago and it was the hardest thing I have ever been through. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can relate. Bye Charlie.
ReplyDelete(But dang your kids are cute!)
~Bliss~
andrea, i am so sorry for your loss, and i totally get it, too. my dogs definitely take the back seat, but still i can't imagine raising my kids with them not here when they were born. memories.... those dogs are a huge part of them.
ReplyDeleteOh that is so sad Andrea - I've never had a pet if you can believe that but these types of stories and memories always get me. It looks like you have a lot of great memories to hold onto with him.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I am so sorry for the loss of Charlie. What a wonderful way for you and your family to remember your last moments with him. JW
ReplyDeleteOh gosh...boo hoo. I am sitting here with tears because I know how hard that is. Unfortunately when we had to put our last dog down 6 years ago....I went out and got 2. Now I have to go through it twice. It breaks your heart.....so sorry
ReplyDelete