Beyond Babedom

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Posts Tagged ‘losing your pet’

Goodbye, Remington

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Today is one of the saddest days of my life. In about an hour, Gary and I will be bringing our wonderful 12 year old chocolate Lab to the vet for the last time.

No matter how prepared you think you are, no matter how much easier your life will be once they are gone, losing a companion who has been such an important part of your life is about the most gut wrenching thing in the world.

I know; there are worse things. But not for us.

When we picked Remmy out at the SPCA, where we almost always find our pets, I fell in love at first sight. This guy has so much personality that seeing him fail breaks my heart. He was put up for adoption because of an obsessive lick problem, so bad that he had literally licked the skin off of his leg almost down to the bone. Using Dog Whisperer techniques, a lampshade collar, bandages, bitter apple, tons of love and even Prozac, we finally were able to completely heal his “boo boo” – just in time to put him to sleep.

What is it about a dog (or cat, for that matter) that makes us go through this end-of-life torture, again and again? After we lost our first dog, Boris (who everyone knows was the love of our life), Gary wanted to be pet free. But, after a week, I couldn’t stand the emptiness and we’ve since had four catsĀ  and six dogs, mostly labs. Our plans always take “the kids” into account. No vacations without a house sitter – no kennels for our kids!

So, this is my final farewell to Remington, who is now sedated so he can sleep peacefully at home for the last time. No more fetching and catching his stuffed heart or baby monkey (that stopped when he lost his eyesight on Christmas day). No more anxious, hyper interest in dinner (when he didn’t want to get up to eat yesterday, that said it all). No more re-bandaging his boo-boo while he patiently sat there as I applied bacitracin and bandages. No more hugging and soothing when he huffed and puffed through whatever was bothering him. No more leading him down the ramp Gary built on the deck, digging out the deep snow so we could walk him on his leash to relieve himself, no more watching him cuddle with Sweet Pea, our kitten.

No more Remmington.

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