Saying Good-Bye to our Best Friend

We lost in our puppy Wrigley the first week of September. He was hit by a car right in front of our rental property. He ran out the door when we were going out to play. I found him minutes later trying to limp back to our house. I scooped him up and could tell right away that his back legs were broken. I frantically called Marc and mentally started trying to figure out how to get him to a vet. He was so peaceful in my arms--he never yelped or whined, just laid with me. After a few minutes had passed I realized that we weren't going to make it to the vet so I just held him. The kids were playing in the sandbox and I didn't want them to be upset so I was trying not to let them see me crying. Sadie eventually came over and sat with me. We held him together while he died.

I wanted to blog about this when it happened but I knew I needed to remember this cute puppy with lots of pictures. I didn't have a way to get any of my older pictures onto my blog without internet so I waited.

To say it was a hard day is an understatement. It hit me much harder than I ever anticipated. Part of having a dog is understanding that at some point you will probably say good-bye to him/her. I didn't think it would be this soon. I was never a dog person but after seeing my parents get a cute little dog I thought maybe I could do it. I'm still not a dog person, but Wrigley stole my heart. I loved that little fur ball so much... and it's a good thing because he made LOTS of messes and provided plenty of mischief.

Wrigley was our first "kid". We got him 2 weeks after finding out I was pregnant with Sadie. He was our introduction to parenthood. We loved going on walks with him, taking him hiking, and snuggling on the couch with him. Each time our family grew, he blended right into the mix. He was the perfect dog for a family with small children. He loved them and they loved him.

Our Wrigley:

Sadie took this last picture the week before we moved... I regret that I didn't take more pictures of him with the kids, but taking a picture of three small children is hard enough without adding a dog to the mix.

We burried Wrigley under a big pine tree at Mr. John's house (with permission of course). We burried him in the evening with Marc. We wrapped him in his favorite towel and included one of his favorite toys. Each of the kids took a turn throwing in a small dog biscuit as they said good-bye. We each told him one of our favorite things about him... Sadie & Kinnick loved giving him treats and running around playing with him. Marc loved how excited he would always get to see us. I loved what a great playmate he was for each of our kids and how I never had to clean the dining room floor after meals because he always took care of it. When we finished burrying him we took the kids to Dairy Queen for icecream. As we were driving home Sadie said "Mom, I prayed that Jesus will take good care of Wrigley until we get to Heaven. Just remember that after awhile you won't feel sad anymore and you'll just remember what a good puppy he was." (...a paraphrase of what I had told her earlier in the day.)

The following weeks were hard. Kinnick asked "When will Wrigely come back to life?" and Macey would occasionaly point to the tree where he was burried and say "ReeRee". Sadie asked me, "Is it okay if sometimes you feel sad inside but you're not crying?" She also told me many times how much she missed him... she stills does occasionally. I didn't blame myself for what happened but my heart was broken because I felt that it was my job to protect him.

I still miss him, but it is easier. Will we get another dog? Probably some day... but not today. We have enough on our plate. I love how much my kids love dogs--especially Macey. I hope that they will always remember Wrigley.