2009 Starts on Sad Note

Our dog, Zeke, made it about 3 hours into the new year. :(

This board's name comes from our first family dog, Kira, who we put to sleep in 2007 when she developed health problems that were affecting family life. We still had Zeke, a shepherd/collie mix at the time. His health has been declining lately and we were worried that he might die while we were in China. Fortunately he did not present a problem for Grandma while we were overseas and he even got to meet Leah, who was immediately attracted to Zeke when we first arrived home. She was very gentle around him and like to pet him whenever he was in the room. Unfortunately, we never thought to get a picture of Zeke with the five of us since returning from China.

It occurred to me that aside from fish and hamsters, I have never been present for a pet's passing. Zeke has been weak and waning for several weeks and died peacefully while laying beside our bed. We have decided to bury Zeke in our back yard. My sensitive nose had me up around 4:30 AM, and I decided to dig a hole in an out of the way location by the light of a flashlight. I'm waiting for the family to wake up so we can place his body in the plot and fill in the dirt. Then we can focus on getting rid of the stink in the house.

The boys knew what was happening and are taking it quite well. Although I'm sad, it's something we knew was just a matter of time, and the whole family had plenty of time to say goodbye. I think there will be minimal grieving time although it may be odd not to have to worry about feeding and potty times. The thought of not having to wander around the backyard late at night with a flashlight while clapping and whistling in search of an old, deaf dog actually puts a grin on my face.

Good-bye Zeke. You will be lovingly remembered. :)

Pictures courtesy of Eli -- he's quite the amateur photographer!