For weeks you’ve been telling us you were ready and when we finally listened to you, true to your spirit, you pretended you were fine.
Maybe you were just messing with us. Or maybe you didn’t want to admit what was actually happening either.
We took you to the vet today. They confirmed all your ailments and told us now was an ok time to say goodbye.
They asked us if you’d rather be at home for it, and wrote us a “prescription” for a mobile vet to come to the house. We were so relieved.
The mobile vet came to the house this afternoon and very kindly helped us say goodbye to you. It was good to finally see the pain leave your sweet, tired body.
You’ve been with us for 12 of your 13 years. You were a pain in the ass for every single one of them. But oh how we loved you anyway.
Your face lit up, your body wriggled with joy, at the sight of food and any person with the food. But it also lit up for the people you loved most, with or without said food in our hands.
You were a basset hound among giants, as all your closest friends were Great Danes. It never stopped you from running the show your way.
You taught yourself to swim once, just to try to catch a duck in a pond (that of course flew away before you could reach it) and the fact that I was watching a basset hound swim so easily was incredible to me.
You were also part pelican, as you once swallowed a pigeon into your gullet of a mouth just so you could come inside and puke it up on our bedroom carpet. I will never forget that.
You made us laugh. You protected us. You ate our garbage.
You were an amazing dog for a little boy to grow up with. He grieves for you now, clutching your empty collar to his chest.
You did everything we ever asked of you. Including traveling to a new world.
I thought for a brief moment about not bringing you with us, feeling the trip would be too hard on you. But now I know my gut was right and that being together as a whole family was exactly what needed to happen.
I’m glad we could be there for you today, to make this decision for you. To bring you peace. To love you like you’ve always loved us.
We’ll always miss you, Lola. Say “hi” to Lucy for us.