[Cagey]

Rancher,

You wrote just a few paragraphs but they painted a wonderful picture. Nicely done.

My son and I had to take our dog to the Vet one last time just a few months ago. As the three of us stood with Brook during her final moments I told the Vet that this must be the hardest part of all the work he does. He looked at me as he said this was so much easier than seeing an animal suffer. It only took a few seconds for me to realize how right he was.

[backhoe]

"My son and I had to take our dog to the Vet one last time just a few months ago. As the three of us stood with Brook during her final moments I told the Vet that this must be the hardest part of all the work he does. He looked at me as he said this was so much easier than seeing an animal suffer. It only took a few seconds for me to realize how right he was."

---

Hard as it was to do, deciding to send Taffy off, to wherever good beings go was easy- she just couldn't enjoy even the simplest parts of life anymore.

Wherever she is, she's free of hurt, and fear, and that crippled old body.

And yes, it's still so hard. I wrote a little about it here:

http://tehsqueakywheel.com/?p=300#comment-25966

"Last night, I was up half the night with a dying, old baby of a dog- even though we mercifully did not really realize that at the time.

This night, I am up half the night with a restless, angry wife. And I do not blame her, and understand as well as one human being can understand another. We are all prisoners, inside our own skulls.

She wants to touch Taffy one last time.
( So do I, so do I, to touch and hold and smell my baby, one more, one last, time… )

But Taffygee, also known here as Lecha ( Hebrew for beloved ) has gone beyond that.

We can only hold and carry her in our hearts now; she has passed into a place where there is no pain, or age, or weakness. I hope."