Death Of A Dog

Last week was a tough one in the Morris household.  We lost one of our beloved family members, our dog Eli.  He was the most patient, calm, and loving dog I think we have ever had.  He loved us all so well and he is so greatly missed.  There is an empty space in our hearts and our laps since we said our goodbyes.  We have another dog, and her name is Sadie—a Chihuahua—and she has been sad as well…which just makes it worse!  We lost a pet, a playmate, a friend, a family member, and a companion and for this we are all pretty sad.

Eli was sick for almost a week before we had to have him put to sleep, so we all knew it was coming.  I had to take him to the vet twice last week, once with my toddler in tow and once, the last time, by myself.  This was the first time I had to take one of my pets to be put to sleep and words cannot express how hard it was.  As a matter of fact, it was so hard I had to call my husband and give the phone to the vet so he could have the talk while I held my dog and shamelessly cried on the floor of the exam room like a baby.  Needless to say, I am super glad my toddler wasn’t with me that time.

My husband and I decided to wait to tell the kids about our precious dog until I got home.  All three of my children are so very different, so of course they handled the news in their own unique way.  My 16 year old son does not like to get all emotional, so he was just plain mad at the world…anger is so much easier than tears.  My 11-year-old son, who has some special needs, has difficulty processing this sort of thing.  He knows he is supposed to be sad, but he struggles to understand the full meaning of it all.  He put on his best sad face, and then asked, “so, when are we getting a new puppy?”  We tried to explain that it would be a while and that it was ok to be sad and to miss Eli.  He suddenly jumps to his feet with his left hand raised and his finger pointing to the sky and proclaims, “I know, I am going to start a mini paper airplane business” and promptly runs upstairs to get started.  Because when a person is sad, clearly starting a business will make it all better.  My three-year old had no idea what was going on so she just sat in my lap pretending to listen and loving on me as I tried not to sob uncontrollably.  Then the next day the two of us were shopping at Wal-Mart and we happened to walk by the pet supply section.  Suddenly out of nowhere she yells, “My Ewi gone mommy” and begins to cry—so I began to cry—and there we were crying it out, shopping at the Wal-Mart.  There is a chance I spent too much that day.

In the midst of the turmoil of the week I was preparing for my weekly Bible study that I am blessed to lead.  It is based on Ecclesiastes 3, A Time For Everything, and wouldn’t you know the verses we were focusing on were 3:6-7.

“A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew.”

Needless to say I could only focus on the “time to lose” for I had lost something dear to my family and me.  Though the study did not focus on losing a loved one, which was where my mind went, so I had a hard time focusing on the lesson and hearing what God had to say to me.  We knew we would get another dog eventually, but we planned on waiting about a month or so, and God laughed.

So Tuesday rolls around and I take my 11-year old to his horseback riding lessons and because of some scheduling conflicts I had my three-year old in tow.  I let my son head on out to his lesson while I remained in the car for a bit getting my little one’s shoes on and letting her go potty (yes, I have a small pink toddler potty in my vehicle,…whatever).  I finally go to watch my son and I see a small puppy and immediately my little girl said, “Yook mommy, my doggie.”  I will spare you all of the details, but as I am sure you have guessed, we brought the dog home and now have a new member of our family—Tessa.  She is a lab mix of sorts and totally adorable.  So here I was, mourning a time of loss and celebrating a time of gain at the same time.  God’s ways are always best and He is here for us even in the small trivial things of life.  God cares for our hearts in a way we cannot fathom and we don’t deserve.  I stand in awe of Him and His ways!