Today is Meme's 15th birthday. Our vet said he has never seen a bassett hound that lives this long. Though she has been blind for 4 years and has tumors all over her. She still have a great sniffer though, she still loves to eat so much that she would wake up from a deep sleep whenever that is a trace of food smell around the house.
When I get off work today, I will make a pot of rice and chicken for Meme. She loves rice and chicken, and food is the only thing she enjoys now. She doesn't go for walks anymore, her joints hurt, and it is not fun when you cannot see what's going on around you.
We know her time with us is not going to be long, she sometimes has difficulty standing up, or maintaining her balance if she walks too fast. I have been praying that God will let her die of old age, like in her sleep, rather than to have me make the decision and make that phone call to make an appointment with the vet to put her down. It is hard to have to part with a friend who has been with you for this long.
I know God has not created spirits in animals, I do believe that God will have animals in heaven. Why won't it be? God thought that they are nice addition to the earth when he created it, why not in heaven? I don't think I will see Meme there, but I will have other animals to enjoy.
My co-worker Barbara put her 19 year old cat, Jamie, to sleep yesterday. It was quite an emotional day for her. She then buried him in her backyard underneath the lilac bushes where Jamie always loved to lay under. The whole family participated the 'ceremony', but that was not easy. She was still teary eyed this morning when we talked about it. Some people don't understand why we animal lovers cry this long and hard when we lose a pet. Well, the truth is, they are not just pets, they are part of the family for a very long time. In fact, I know Meme longer than I know Dan.
Even though I am well prepared for the day when Meme will not be with me anymore, but nothing will prepare me when that day arrives. I will grief, that's for sure. It is strange to talk about her death on her birthday, isn't it?
A pet gives us much pleasure. 2 years into the passing of Sassy I still think at times that I am coming home and will have that wet nosed fluffy thing greeting me behind the door. I am sad when it is not so, but glad that I had experienced the love that she brought me. Thank you God for pets! Mom
ReplyDelete