Belle

This morning, my sister Kathi and her family had to put their eleven year old dog Belle to sleep.  She had been ill for awhile and it was a tough decision for them.  Belle was given to them when she was about nine weeks old by my brother Tim.  She was a fairly big dog and more than Tim could handle at the time.  Kathi and her family had a house and a yard and they figured it would be a good placement for her.

Kathi’s kids grew up with Belle.  She was the same age as my niece.  Today was a sad day for them and we were all thinking about Belle and their family.  Someone shared this poem on her Facebook page,

Coincidentally, we had to bring our own little Emmy Lou to the vet this morning.  She has an infection in her paw, possibly a result from the salt being used on the roads during all this snow and ice.  She was given an antibiotic and will be checked up on in two weeks to see how she is healing.  While we were there, a woman was leaving in tears after having to put her cat to sleep.  We did not know the circumstances, but all of us got a bit weepy watching her as she left the doctor’s office.   It sounds so selfish, but as sad as all of us in the waiting room were for her, there was also a sense of relief – happiness even – knowing that it was not us that had to be faced with a tough decision like this.

We know that this was not an easy choice for Kathi and her family but I am sure that they are finding comfort in the thought that Belle is at peace now as she frolics at the Rainbow Bridge.

Tagged: Family dog, losing a pet, pet grief, putting an animal to sleep, Rainbow Bridge, saying goodbye to a pet