Dear Old Friend

We knew this day would eventually come. We were just hoping it would be later, much, much later.

September 20th, 2011 was the last day we spent with the greatest dog ever. Our girl, Glory, was as faithful a friend as they come. She'd been with us from practically the beginning. We got her while living in Germany in 2001. She was just a few months old and full of spunk and energy. She went everywhere with us in Europe. She rode the train to Paris, traveled to Normandy, Switzerland and more. 

She was there when we brought each of the boys home from the hospital. Wagging her tail and eagerly sniffing them as if she was welcoming them in.  Even when we just had baby Jacob, she got a lot of our attention with lots of walks in the Buffalo Forrest and playing with Ian. As the kids grew, so did she.

We'll never forget that her most favorite thing to do was to go to the beach. She loved to run free and swim after us as we got in the water. Chasing birds away never got old.

She was the best family pet EVER! She was so kind and gentle to all the babies. She always loved them and protected each one of them.

 She loved to go on hikes and long walks. Even a run with Ian would barely exhaust her.

I never thought it would be so hard to say goodbye to a pet. But she was more than that to us, she was part of our family. At ten years old, her body was suffering and mercy became more important than our feelings. The hardest part was knowing we had the appointment and knowing our time with her was numbered. It was sad to imagine family life without her around. 

We were all there with her when she went down. The vet came to our house and we all sat with her and told her what a good girl she was and how much we loved her. And just like that, she was gone.

The boys handled it much better than I thought they would. I think they knew she was not the same dog, not enjoying her life. They had pity on her and because of that, were willing to let her go.

They still say goodnight and good morning to her, where she was buried. And throughout the day they'll say "I miss Glory". To which I can only say, "I miss Glory too".