Today, our beloved family dog of 10 years, Angie, went to sleep forever. My parents and brother made the heart wrenching decision to let her go this morning. It is a decision no pet owner ever wants to make, yet it is one of the bravest things we can do. A few months ago we found out Angie had stage four lymphoma. After taking her to the Texas A&M veterinary medical teaching hospital, she was picked as a candidate to participate in a program in conjunction with the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. The purpose of the program was to determine if her white blood cells could be sensitized to mount an immune response to cancer in canines as well as humans. Angie responded well to the treatments and always loved her weekly visits at Texas A&M. She fought the cancer hard, but it was stronger than she was.
We cannot put into words all that Angie gave to us. She was loyal, loving, gentle natured, affectionate and a best friend. Dogs are truly one of the best living beings we can have. They come into our lives not asking for anything in exchange for the love they give us.
We are so blessed to have had her companionship for so long. Thank you Angie for all the good times. When you always had to be right in the middle of what we were doing, we were blessed. When we kept you in the kitchen as a puppy and returned home one night to find the linoleum completely pulled up in the corner of the kitchen, we were blessed (and mom was happy because she wanted tile floors!). When you escaped from our backyard after the strong winds of Hurricane Rita blew our fence down and we chased you for three blocks around the neighborhood until I finally tackled you, scraping up both my knees, we were blessed. When we couldn’t eat one family dinner without you looking at us with those big puppy-dog eyes from behind the gate in the kitchen and giving us the “share some food” bark, we were blessed. When you hid underneath mom & dad’s bed during every thunderstorm, 4th of July holiday, and New Years Eve, we were blessed. When you decided (on your own) that you were meant to be an indoor house dog and not the all-star hunting retriever after running and hiding underneath the pick-up truck when you first heard the shotgun fire while at your first training session, we were blessed. When you always greeted us at the door and followed us around until you got the tickles you wanted, we were blessed. When you got so excited every time we grabbed your leash to take you on a walk, we were blessed. When we finally figured out we had to spell out the word “w-a-l-k” so you wouldn’t know what we were about to go do, we were blessed. For all the times you were there to hug and give big slobbery kisses, we were blessed.
A person can learn a lot from a dog. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give them your heart and they will give you theirs. And that’s what Angie did. It makes me realize that life is short for all of us and that we need to make the most of it. Material possessions don’t matter in the end. It’s the relationships you form, both with people and pets. So, next time you look at your chewed up shoe or that chewed corner of the coffee table, remember that you are blessed!
We cannot put into words all that Angie gave to us. She was loyal, loving, gentle natured, affectionate and a best friend. Dogs are truly one of the best living beings we can have. They come into our lives not asking for anything in exchange for the love they give us.
We are so blessed to have had her companionship for so long. Thank you Angie for all the good times. When you always had to be right in the middle of what we were doing, we were blessed. When we kept you in the kitchen as a puppy and returned home one night to find the linoleum completely pulled up in the corner of the kitchen, we were blessed (and mom was happy because she wanted tile floors!). When you escaped from our backyard after the strong winds of Hurricane Rita blew our fence down and we chased you for three blocks around the neighborhood until I finally tackled you, scraping up both my knees, we were blessed. When we couldn’t eat one family dinner without you looking at us with those big puppy-dog eyes from behind the gate in the kitchen and giving us the “share some food” bark, we were blessed. When you hid underneath mom & dad’s bed during every thunderstorm, 4th of July holiday, and New Years Eve, we were blessed. When you decided (on your own) that you were meant to be an indoor house dog and not the all-star hunting retriever after running and hiding underneath the pick-up truck when you first heard the shotgun fire while at your first training session, we were blessed. When you always greeted us at the door and followed us around until you got the tickles you wanted, we were blessed. When you got so excited every time we grabbed your leash to take you on a walk, we were blessed. When we finally figured out we had to spell out the word “w-a-l-k” so you wouldn’t know what we were about to go do, we were blessed. For all the times you were there to hug and give big slobbery kisses, we were blessed.
A person can learn a lot from a dog. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give them your heart and they will give you theirs. And that’s what Angie did. It makes me realize that life is short for all of us and that we need to make the most of it. Material possessions don’t matter in the end. It’s the relationships you form, both with people and pets. So, next time you look at your chewed up shoe or that chewed corner of the coffee table, remember that you are blessed!
"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."
This made me cry! I am sure sweet Angie is nice and comfy up in doggie heaven now.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about your sweet Angie.... losing a dog is one of the hardest things!
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