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| Neo with Leah (5 weeks old) |
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| Neo with Leah (2 months old) |
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| Neo with Kiersten (1 week old) |
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| Neo with Hattie (5 months old) |
Yesterday, I had to say good-bye to one of my dearest friends...my dog, Neo. He was almost twelve years old, and more loyal than most. To say that he had been with me through some tough times would be an understatement. There aren't even words for how much I am going to miss him. He moved cross country with me more than once and was such a good sport about it. From Illinois to Arizona in 2004, from Arizona to Illinois in 2006, From Illinois to New Jersey in 2008 and then from New Jersey back to Illinois in 2011.
Mitch learned quickly when we started dating in 2006 that I was a package deal. And lucky for me he loved Neo and Sandy as much as I did. Saying good-bye was equally difficult for him. I love that he recognized what a special boy he was. And for Neo the feeling was mutual. He began to favor Mitch and I would often joke that he became Mitch's dog. Truth be told, he loved us all. When we were expecting Leah we had some serious concerns about how Neo would respond to having a baby/child in the house. Afterall, he was nearly 7 years old by then. But he couldn't have adjusted any better. From the day we brought Leah home, he was gentle and loving and protected her as if she had always been there. The same was then true for Kiersten and Hattie. He loved to give them kisses. He was a good sport when they would pull on his ears and tail and he LOVED...LOVED to steal their cheese sticks.
As hard as saying good bye is for an adult, it was especially hard for Leah. She had several meltdowns, and keeps asking if we can go to visit Neo in heaven. And I just keep thinking of the country song "If heaven wasn't so far away..." We tried to explain to her that now Neo gets to run and play in heaven because his legs don't hurt anymore, and my smart girl said "If his legs are all better, than he can run home." If only it were that simple. We miss you, bub and thank you for all the love and loyalty over the years. Good-bye, dear friend.
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1 comment:
I know I said this on Facebook, but again, I am so sorry for your loss! Losing a pet is so hard. As an adult I've lost a few cats and the losses are devastating. Folks who are not animal lovers will never understand, I finally realized. I even remember sitting vigil as a kid when one of my hamsters was going to die. What we do for our animals...but that's because of what they do and have done for us.
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