The 4-legged Loves of our Lives....are Gone.

It has been a very difficult week. That my friends, is an understatement. I don't even know how to begin to write this post as I am so tired. Not physically, though I am a bit of that as well. Mainly though, I am just emotionally drained. My blood-pressure, I feel certain, has risen with our stress levels this week and though I have MANY things I need to be doing...I'm finding it an effort just to get out of bed and get dressed in the morning. Friday saw us driving about 3+ hours to Chattanooga, Tennessee where we made one of the most difficult transitions of our lives. We gave up our two precious puppies (our miniature dachshunds) two their new adoptive family. You can't even begin to imagine how difficult a decision that was for us. We have had Amos (a 5 year old male) since Alan and I were married. In fact, he was my wedding gift from Alan. I raised him, carried him in the pocket of my bathrobe when he was a tiny puppy, slept with him in my bed each night...loved him. Abby (the female) was only 8 months old. We have had her since January when my husband brought her home from work one day to "save" her and give her a home. She was a joy to wake up to each morning (as she also shared our bed). She is such an animated little pup...full of love. We had nick-named her "cartoon" because she just had that sweet, funny, unpredictable nature. Unfortunatly, she wasn't fully potty trained as her previous owner was an elderly lady unable to care for her. And though we were making progress, with packing for our move, our two children and the pending birth of our third, I also was unable to devote enough time to the task. Plus, as she was nearing a year old and Amos had not been fixed...we were looking at either choosing to breed them or having them both spayed/neutered and financially we couldn't afford to right now with everything else going on. Then too, we are moving into a new, fully-carpeted house. Right now we live in a house with all hardwood floors where accidents aren't such a catastrophe. In August my oldest daughter starts kindergarten. In October the new baby will be born. Basically it just came down to our love for the pups and our desire to give them the quality of life that we could no longer provide. They went to the home of an older couple who coincidentally already had two mini doxies. Their children are all grown, and they are completely devoted to their pups who have become their new kids. Someone is home with them at all times, they will still be allowed to sleep in the beds with their new owners, and the couple has a two-acre fenced in backyard that they will be able to play in (supervised of course.) I have heard from their "mom" and she is already planning their first vet trip for this years' shots and preventative meds. They are adjusting well. Probably a lot better than we are. We are going to be glad to be out of this house soon, because it's difficult to be here expecting to see them bounding around the corner at any moment...only to remember that they are gone. Our only consolation is knowing that we did what was best for them, and that they will be happy. To us they will never age, never suffer, never die. In our memories they will always be as they were last...healthy happy pups with their full lives ahead of them.