Did I mention that I don't like change, especially? And I have been through a lot in the last four years. Although I guess if you think about it, you change all the time. Some decisions you make, some are made for you. And some you can see like a train engine coming...and as hard as you try to avoid it, it happens anyway.
This weekend I made a very hard decision. My 16 year old dog, Sophie, has not been doing well the last several years. For one thing, she is old. Her back legs were totally stiff and arthithic. Her hearing was poor, her eyes were glazed, and she had started urinating in places she just didn't normally urinate. And she barked randomly...a lot of time at 4 in the morning.
I tried to rationalize that she was eating, she seemed alert, but was just getting old. Sophie has been with me through everything..the end of my first marriage, the trip to New Mexico, the disastrous 11 years that were my nightmare of a marriage, the death of my son, the betrayal of said disastrous marriage,my "homeless spring tour"...and my life that began when I moved into my house. And through all this, quiet Sophie was there. She followed me always. If I stood up to go to another room, she was behind me. If I went to the bathroom, there she was. She was always with me. And with all the changes that I have been through, I just didn't want to have another one.
However, things come to you when they should. And I knew (with the help of my friends) that it was time for Sophie to end her life with dignity. She couldn't stand on tile anymore. There were several times that I would come home to find her lying on the floor..stuck. And as much as I didn't want to do it, I knew this was the one gift I could give to her, for all she has done and been to me.
My good friend Eileen lives in Jemez Valley, a region of New Mexico. We took Sophie to a vet that she had for many years. He was as gracious and kind as any man I've ever met. Through my tears, he explained to me what Sophie had been going through..and what she would continue to go through. He told me that I did a very good job taking care of her for 16 years, and it was time. I lifted her up on the table, and hugged her, told her I loved her, and thanked her for all she has been in my life. He said a prayer to her in his native language, and then she was gone. We took her to Eileens home, and she is buried under a huge oak tree in the mountains. She is there with people who also loved her.
I know that a lot of people wouldn't understand what a dog could mean to me. Sophie just wasn't a dog. She was a gentle, constant, kind companion who brought more to my life than most people I know.
Thank you, Sophie.
This weekend I made a very hard decision. My 16 year old dog, Sophie, has not been doing well the last several years. For one thing, she is old. Her back legs were totally stiff and arthithic. Her hearing was poor, her eyes were glazed, and she had started urinating in places she just didn't normally urinate. And she barked randomly...a lot of time at 4 in the morning.
I tried to rationalize that she was eating, she seemed alert, but was just getting old. Sophie has been with me through everything..the end of my first marriage, the trip to New Mexico, the disastrous 11 years that were my nightmare of a marriage, the death of my son, the betrayal of said disastrous marriage,my "homeless spring tour"...and my life that began when I moved into my house. And through all this, quiet Sophie was there. She followed me always. If I stood up to go to another room, she was behind me. If I went to the bathroom, there she was. She was always with me. And with all the changes that I have been through, I just didn't want to have another one.
However, things come to you when they should. And I knew (with the help of my friends) that it was time for Sophie to end her life with dignity. She couldn't stand on tile anymore. There were several times that I would come home to find her lying on the floor..stuck. And as much as I didn't want to do it, I knew this was the one gift I could give to her, for all she has done and been to me.
My good friend Eileen lives in Jemez Valley, a region of New Mexico. We took Sophie to a vet that she had for many years. He was as gracious and kind as any man I've ever met. Through my tears, he explained to me what Sophie had been going through..and what she would continue to go through. He told me that I did a very good job taking care of her for 16 years, and it was time. I lifted her up on the table, and hugged her, told her I loved her, and thanked her for all she has been in my life. He said a prayer to her in his native language, and then she was gone. We took her to Eileens home, and she is buried under a huge oak tree in the mountains. She is there with people who also loved her.
I know that a lot of people wouldn't understand what a dog could mean to me. Sophie just wasn't a dog. She was a gentle, constant, kind companion who brought more to my life than most people I know.
Thank you, Sophie.
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