Addie, 1993-2006

It is a sad day in our household today; after struggling for a couple of years with the ravages of old age, we said our goodbyes and had Addie, our 13-year-old standard poodle, put to sleep.

Addie was born Memorial Day weekend in 1993 and was given to us as a gift just prior to our wedding the following August. Actually, it was on the insistance of one of our daughters that we get this puppy. And you know how kids are, always promising to take care of the [insert species here]. Of course, we ended up taking care of Addie - along with Snoopy, Midnight, Crystal - and later, Aries (Princess doesn't count - she was adopted by two consenting adults). Since then, the kids have grown and moved out (and returned, and left again), but Aries actually moved out. And of course, we gladly have taken care of all these pets over the years.

As a mere puppy, Addie was joining into a newly blended family of three cats (two of S's, and one mine). Naturally, the two alpha cats made it very clear who was boss. That still didn't dissuade Addie from trying to play the cats. We used to be entertained nightly watching Addie and Snoopy playing "patty-cake" (we haven't seen that for a few years).

Aries came along briefly for a few years and moved out with one of the children's roommates. We lost Midnight and Crystal. And suddenly, it was just Snoopy and Addie. At last, Addie was top dog again.

Addie developed low thyroid which slowed her down somewhat until it was diagnosed and treated. But by the time Princess came along last year, it was becoming evident that Addie was declining - and didn't mind too much that we had a new alpha dog in the house (even as tiny as she is).

Over the past year, Addie had weakened considerably and had difficulty walking. She just layed around all the time. She used to sleep in our bedroom at night, but that stopped about a year ago - just too much effort. During the past few weeks, her breathing has become quite labored. Her muscles had wasted away considerably. And so S and I made the difficult decision to have her put to sleep.

We took one last ride in the car together with her in the front seat next to me. Regretfully, she was too weak to take advantage of the rolled down window. We took one last walk to together as I led her to her destiny. Then I think she may have sensed what was about to happen. She couldn't walk anymore; I carried her the rest of the way - amazed at how light she had become.

It is said, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." Despite her poor health, Addie had a lot of fight in her to the end. She is already missed.

I truly believe that God puts pets in our lives to demonstrate his unconditional love. The leash and empty collar in the front seat of my car represent the pain and anguish I feel from losing this member of our family. But the time we had with Addie was a wonderful time, providing cherished memories for a lifetime.

Lord, I thank you for bringing Addie into our lives and providing us another vessel for your love to flow from. Thank you for providing Addie with a good, long life, and for bringing peace and an end to her pain. While some would debate whether animals have souls or not, let alone a place in heaven, it is my hope that you are now leading Addie to a nice grassy field in the sun where she can run and jump with all the other dogs there. Assauge our grief and remind us of the many good times we had. Amen,