Another Loss

At the Lee house, we’ve suffered another sad loss. It was not an unexpected loss, I guess, but its suddenness certainly was: We’ve lost Abby.

I had just gotten home from work, and we had a fun evening planned. Dinner, movie, playing with the boys. I got in the house and set my stuff down, and went out to give Abby some food and water before it got dark. When I opened the gate, I saw her asleep in her dog house, which is unusual. Even more so, she didn’t move when the gate opened, nor did she budge as I dumped the rain soaked food out of her bowl and poured in the dry food. Realization started to sink in as I rushed across the yard to see that she was, indeed, dead. She had curled up in her dog house and passed away.

Like I said, this wasn’t totally unexpected. I think a part of me had been wondering when it would happen, as she never really recovered from her extended kennel stay last summer, where she spent 2 months away from anyone she knew, in a cage, and watched her brother die, leaving her all alone for the last half of her stay. When we were finally able to get her out, she wasn’t doing well. The vet had been really worried, and asked us if we could come visit her to see if we could get her to eat, but she would eat what we gave her either. When we finally got her home, she got a little better. She eventually started eating better, but never really well. Her food dish would often have food in it for days before she’d finish it. She was just never really herself again.

At any rate, I changed clothes and loaded her body in the van and drove her to vet for…disposal. It was a long, sad, and quiet drive, but the folks at Harvest Hills Vet Clinic, who have taken such good care of our two dogs, were very kind and helpful.

It was tough evening. We’re all going to miss her. She was 8 years old.

Miss Abby Normal

November 10, 1999 – March 19, 2008

I also posted her picture at our vet’s website.