Odie

We went on our vacation last week and got home on Saturday afternoon. Sadly, the next day we had a tragedy in our family.

Our sweet little dog, Odie, passed away.

He had spent the week at my brother's home while we were gone and we arrived to pick him up at around 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. When we got there, my brother told us that he had thrown up that day, just a few hours before, but that he seemed fine. When we got home, he was extremely thirsty and guzzled tons of water. It was a hot day and we didn't think much about it.

Saturday evening we could tell he didn't feel well, and he threw up a few more times. We put him to bed thinking that he would probably be better the next day.

But as the day progressed on Sunday, he was not getting better, but worse. By about 8:00 in the evening, he was really sick and not doing much of anything. So we found a local pet emergency hospital and decided to take him in.

When Todd got there, Odie's heart stopped as soon as they tubed him. It started again on its own a few seconds later, but he wasn't stable. The doctor said that Odie had Addison's disease. It was going to cost $1500 to try and stabilize him and keep him for the night, and then a lifetime of expensive medication with no guarantee of normalcy. It was one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make. But in the end, we felt that we had to let him go. It was heart-wrenching!

Todd was with him for his last minutes and then he was gone. Todd brought Odie home, so that we could bury him in the morning with our family. By this time, it was after 10:00 pm and our kids were in bed. We decided not to wake them and tell them the news. Todd and I didn't sleep much that night. In the morning we had to tell our children of the tragedy. It is something I will never forget.

And then, we dug a hole....

Said a prayer....

And laid Odie's sweet little body inside.

It was a very tender experience and one I will never forget. This was the first time my kids have had to deal with death and there have been many heart-felt, teaching discussions following Odie's passing.

We don't have a marker yet for his grave, but we'll make one soon. His absence has left a huge hole in all of our hearts. Yesterday was a day of sorrow and sadness. It was full of tears and pain. And now we all miss him terribly.

We love you Odie. We're sorry you got sick and that we couldn't take away your pain. You will forever be in our hearts! Life just isn't the same without you. We miss you!!