That's the understatement of the year.
This morning, at 11:40am, we took our Boxer, Allie, to the vet for her final sleep. Amy and I were with her the entire time, talking to her and comforting her.
She went peacefully, and without fear.
Allie was a "Rescue Boxer" that came into our lives about 9 years ago. At the time, we thought she was about 2 years old, but later found that she had been closer to 4.
This made her approximately 13 years old, which is a ripe old age for a Boxer.
I remember how we loved her from the moment we first saw her.
When we arrived at the "foster home", she bolted out of her kennel door to greet us.
We stood there gawking as she ran into the room and tackled Tristan, who fell to the floor laughing while she kissed him about the face and neck.
We knew she was the one.
It took several months to get her to a healthy weight.
When we first got her, she was an emaciated skeleton.
I guess it was for this reason that I didn't get TOO upset when she would eat an entire plate of stacked, raw chicken breasts ready for the grill. She did that several times before I learned: No food was safe from her long reach. You had to hide it in the microwave or oven. She was quick.
She slept in our bed almost the entire time we had her, up until about a year ago when her hips got too bad to jump up.
And that was the beginning of the end, her hips, her knees, incontinence, and finally, her mind.
She just couldn't get around anymore and the vet said it well:
"You gave her a warm, loving home for most of her life. Her body was just tired and she was ready to go to sleep. This is the right thing to do".
We needed to hear that, although I already knew it to be true.
This vet was a little different in procedure too. While Amy and I stood by Allie, the vet gave her a sedative first so that she was super relaxed and lay down before they administered the anesthesia.
And then she slept...
It was odd, I noticed through my sobbing, when the vet listened for a heartbeat, found none and said "she's gone", I FELT that she was no longer there. It was easier to say goodbye and take my hands away.
Later that afternoon, we drove her body to Madisonville and buried her at the back of my in-laws property. Some boys from around the neighborhood helped out since I couldn't do anything with my broken foot.
They wouldn't accept payment...
Allie was by far the best dog we've ever had. We will never forget her, and she will be sorely missed.
Rest in Peace, Allie girl.
We love you.
KoP
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