This is written as a tribute to our dog Abby. We just found out yesterday that she had a massive tumor and we had to put her down today. We brought her home from the vet last night but we could tell she was dying before our eyes. I wish we would have had some signs but by the time we realized something was wrong it was too far gone. She was a wonderful dog and will always be remembered.
We got Abby 9 ½ years ago as a puppy. Our son Tarren had a friend who got a chocolate lab and he decided that he needed one also. My first experience with a Labrador was at the stable where our daughter kept her horse. I just thought that lab was the coolest dog. So when he went on the campaign for a lab I joined in. We finally whittled my husband down and went to check a litter out. As we were walking up we noticed the biggest lab we had ever seen!! This was Daddy!! We went anticipating getting a male but my husband and I were back peddling big time. The owner said "why don't you buy "Peanut? She's a female and the runt of the litter." So we bought Peanut!
As you can see our Abby did not remain a Peanut. At one point she weighed 105 pounds but we found out she had a thyroid condition and by being on her thyroid medicine she maintained about 85 pounds. Our daughter said if she was a person she would be a plus size; she was just a big girl.
She was supposed to be our son's dog but someone forgot to tell her that. My husband started taking her for walks and she was hooked. She loved our son also but she was really my husband's dog. She was his constant shadow. Our son was probably number 2 in her book (although she loved everyone). The picture to the right is from our son's first tour of Iraq. He had just got home from his R & R and she was so excited. I was going to use this picture in a couple of months when he gets out of Iraq again but I'm sure I won't be doing that now.
It was so hard today having to tell our young adult children as it all transpired so fast. Our daughter is a flight attendant; working for a charter airline that moves our troops. She just got back from a Germany/Kuwait trip
yesterday so I called her this morning. Our son is presently in Baghdad serving in his second tour and I had to email him. I really don't know if either way was good; they neither are going to feel a sense of closure.
I keep a daily scripture on my desk and the scripture for today was from Ecclesiastics 3:7-8 "A time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. " The last few days the scripture has been going through the verses from "A time for everything" but how interesting that this was the verse for today. I have been crying all day. We lost a good friend today and I guess it will just take some time to mend.
We had thought this would be our last dog but our house feels such a loss. We have both always had a dog; including our 32 years of marriage. I don't expect we will do anything right away but we are not going to shut the door entirely. We will just have to see how it goes from here.
I read the book Marley and me when it first came out a few years ago. I must say a lot of Marley's antics reminded us of Abby as a puppy. I had thought about going to see the movie but after this I think it will be a few years before I'm up to that.
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