Two Saturdays ago, I drove into the driveway and saw you and your brother and sister wagging your tails, leaping for joy at the sight of my car. You lifted my spirits and I thought to myself, what a perfect day. A chill was in the air, the sun shined brightly and the grass was brilliant green.Fall was just around the corner.
As I backed into the driveway, I stopped to tell your sister Maggie to get out of the way. She’s only a pup, even though she outweighed you by 60 lbs. She scampered away and I backed up. When I felt a bump, my blood chilled. I knew that my worst fear had just been realized. I opened the door and heard your pain. My heart broke.
After rushing you to the hospital, I began to be hopeful that you would be ok. We spared no expense and got you the best care we could. With IV fluids and a blood transfusion, we were left with only a few broken bones. So we’d get them fixed and with a little help from us and your vet, we’d have you romping around the yard in no time. You leaped onto my lap and licked me before surgery. Such a good sign of hope. I let you sleep on my lap. It was so nice to see you relax after 5 days in the hospital. One or two more days and you would be home with us.
Your surgeon called me mid-way through the surgery and gave me good news. All the damage from the accident was repairable. And then he gave me news I could never have imagined. He said you had advanced pancreatic cancer and would be lucky to live 6 months. He also said you’d be in significant pain very soon. I knew what I had to do. You had a wonderful 10.5 years. How could I make you endure the cancer just so that I could see your smiling face and your wagging tail
for a few months longer.
We put you to sleep then and brought your ashes home. We kept a lock of your hair and your family gathered to talk about how special you were. You’ll remain in the garden amongst the flowers
that you loved to trample.
Maggie misses her companion and Eddie is lost without his shadow. Jim and I miss you dearly and we try to think only of the good times that we had together. It was a magnificent time we shared. We only wish it could have been much, much longer.
All of our love,
| Chester |
| Susan & Jim |