Say Goodbye

Tell Me Your Story Tuesday

Saying Goodbye
First, I must ask your forgiveness for the personal, non-writing related nature of this post. I have some great writers lined up for Tell Me Your Story Tuesday. I am very excited about them and invite you to come visit in the next few weeks and say hello. 

But today, I need to say goodbye. 

Monday, for the second time in less than a year, we made the decision to set one of our beloved four-legged friends free from suffering.

All I have to say about that is, sometimes, being a grown up sucks. 


These were our first two "children"

This is Attie. The picture doesn't do her justice. She was a large, beautiful Australian Shepherd with a thick coat and a love for food.  She liked to tuck one foot under when she laid down and hated house flies with a passion. When our other dogs knocked down the fence and were caught by animal control, the officer told us even though Attie was on the back patio when they caught her friends, he tried to coax her to the truck, worried that with no fence, she would go into the street and possibly be hit by a car. She refused to  leave the patio. That was exactly where we found her when we returned home hours later. Waiting to tattle  on the other dogs.
We adopted her at six weeks old in February 1999. She left us in June of 2010. 

This was her constant companion, Chase. We adopted him in May of 1999. He was already over a year old. The shelter workers told us he had lived on his own in a field for about three months before they were able to coax him into the car. He wiggled his whole butt rather just his tail and was an escape artist. He was on a first name basis with animal control in one city. When we moved to a trailer park, he found another family that he liked and would frequently go visit. They would let him come in, play with their kids and eventually bring him home. When we moved to our current house, he discovered a special place under the fruit trees in our backyard where he was content to spend the day watching the world go by.  He was with us until yesterday. 

So, tell me a dog story today. Or a cat, bird, iguana, whatever your animal friend of choice may be. It doesn't have to be about saying goodbye. In fact, I would love to hear some funny stories about their goofiness. I want to be reminded of great it is for them to win our hearts even though it hurts this much when we have to say goodbye.