Grief, Zoo.

Do We Know How To Celebrate An Anniversary Or What?

zoot

I got out of bed this morning knowing I had two entries to write before boot camp. One – recognizing 9 years of marriage, and one – saying goodbye to our sweet Little Girl.

She outlived her husband by almost four years. She outlived her children. At 14.5 years old she’s lived longer than we ever thought possible.

But now it’s time to say goodbye after months of deteriorating health and days of severe seizures and dementia. We’ve not slept much this week and we’ve been cleaning up messes left and right as her body and mind fail her.

She was our maternal alpha dog. She was the best at learning tricks and never was one to cuddle. She wanted nothing more than to be sleeping under blankets in the middle of a messy bed so you’d never even know she was there. She’d torment other animals by shaking her butt and barking at them, taunting them into playtime. But she’d curl up with them at night and clean their ears. She was fiercely protective and loved to give full-on tongue-in-mouth kisses. And you couldn’t trick her. You’d keep your lips tight but when you were least expecting it, she’d jump in for a kiss while you were mid-sentence and stick her tongue down your throat.

We loved her dearly.

But these days have been hard and most of the time she is not our Little Girl. She’s an empty vessel wandering and crying in the night, and it breaks our heart. So we choose today to put her out of her misery and allow her to go in the peace she deserves.

She’ll stay forever booty-shaking in our hearts.

Published by zoot

31 thoughts on “Do We Know How To Celebrate An Anniversary Or What?”

  2. So sorry to hear about her loss. I cannot imagine how difficult it was to let her go but also peaceful to know she’s no longer suffering. Thinking of you all.

  3. Oh, I am so, so sorry. Words cannot express how difficult it is to have to see a beloved pet and member of the family go through this kind of thing and then have to say goodbye. I’ve done it four times so far and it never gets any easier. All you can do is try to hang on to those happy memories and know you are doing the right thing by not letting her suffer. I’ll be thinking of you guys today and in the days to follow.

  4. wow, that just deflated my excitement bubble from your first post. sweet lil’ girl 🙁 i’m so sad about this, and i’m so sorry 🙁

  10. So sorry. I have two 12 year old dogs who are starting to feel their age, and I know I’ll be in this position sometime soon. It’s hard to see them suffer, but harder to think of letting them go.

  11. I’m so sorry to hear of the timing but I hope that the peace that she’s not suffering anymore helps a lot. I’m facing similar days soon as I have a 17 year old cat. She moves slowly and sleeps more than ever before and her body has grown a lot more frail than I like. Her mind still seems ok but I’m aware she can’t last forever. I wish lots of hugs to you and the rest of the family today.

  13. Oh man, Zoot and family, I am so so very sorry. I know how hard it is to lose a family member. I know she will be missed . I still miss my girl, you guys are all in my thoughts today. Sending many hugs.

  14. So sad for you and your family. We lost our beloved pup on January 2, 2012 so I know the feelings you are having right now. After 10 years in our hearts and lives, it was SO hard to say good-bye even when we knew it was the best and right thing to do. Hugs to you and your family today.

  16. oh girl, i’m so sorry it’s that time. i can’t even imagine your home without her.

    much, much extra love to y’all today…and happy anniversary!

  19. Gah, I am sorry. I know what it is like to lose a beloved pet, and I am sending some good juju out for you.

  20. I am so sorry. We have been through it twice and probably will again soon with our almost 15 year old little dog. It is a tough decision to make, but you did the right thing.

  21. I’m so sorry Kim! I’m not looking forward to the day when I need to make that decision. I’ve got two 11 year old beagles… =(

  22. I am so, so sorry for you loss. I too have had to give a four legged family member their peace, and it is never easy. My heart is hurting for you.

  23. So sorry to hear about this…and on your anniversary, no less!

    See, I, after 34 years, finally have a 4 legged friend. This is the kind of stuff I’ve never dealt – the awesomeness of a doggie and the loss of one…and am already freaking out about it (and he’s only 8 months). I guess b/c he matured so fast and looks like an adult dog (he’s a fox red lab, by the way).

    Again…I’m sorry for your loss…

  24. I am sorry for your loss and feel your pain. Same kinda week around here. We had our two dogs put down on Monday. 13 and 12. Old and failing.

  25. Sounds like Lil Girl was well loved to the very end! She will live on in your special memories!

  26. This makes me sad. I remember having to put one of our dogs down in high school. It sucked, even if we knew we were doing the “right” thing. It hurts.

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