Shortly after Josh and I got married we rescued a dog named Abby. I found a rescue place called A Forever Home, based about a state away from us. Josh and I look around and met some great pups, but none seemed quite right, until we saw Abby. She was sitting on the deck, in the shade, with her front paws crossed.
She was quiet as she observed the Tom Foolery of the other doggies.
That. Is my dog.
She immediately became my home girl. She would get so excited when I got home from work, she almost always peed a little. This was both endearing and frustrating.
Abby used to dig holes under our deck, so big that she would sit in them and we would have to crawl under the deck at night with a flashlight to coax her out. After a few rounds of this, we put up lattice to block the under deck portion of our postage stamp sized backyard.
Abby loved pizza more than other other food. However, once we moved we had a big pantry. The kids often leave the pantry open and Abby treated herself to all kinds of things- chips, cookies, muffins...
When we first got her, she slept in our bed. Then about a year later I got pregnant with Parker. I banished Abs to the floor (on a dog bed) and forced Josh to buy me a king sized bed.
My relationship and connection to Abby was never the same. Parker came and took nearly all of my attention away from her. She was terrified of the stroller, so our long walks were over. Then Peyton came and my attention for Abby only lessened.
She quickly became Josh's pooch after P1 came along. I liked her enough, but I didn't love her like I did and I think the feeling was mutual. We coexisted and tolerated each other. She seemed mad that I had babies. Hurt even.
She did not take this out on the kids. You could not ask for a more gentle, understanding dog. She never even barked at the kids. Never. Not even when they were "petting" her or trying to grab her tail as she ate.
On Thursday night/Friday morning she took a sad turn. She was about 15 years old.
Abby stopped eating and couldn't make it from her water bowl to the deck (about 15 feet) without peeing on the floor. We saw the end was near and called the vet. We had an appointment set up to bring her in on Monday evening.
Abby didn't make it to the vet. She died Sunday night/Monday morning on a very soft bed of nice blankets on her own terms.
Josh is very upset. Parker wants to know when we are getting another dog. He also thinks that other things that aren't here anymore are dead. "I don't have those shoes anymore because they are dead."
Maybe we will get another dog at some point, maybe not. The kids (and Josh) really love having a dog and I can't be that selfish to fully resist. Either way, it will be a while.
2 comments:
It's so sad to say goodbye. A beautiful post.
The luckiest day of Abby's life was when you two showed up. You gave her a great life and I don't think she ever stopped loving you.
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